Research Catalog

Title

The Vestris family in prints [graphic].

Publication

1781-[1838?]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Godelet, F.
• Meyer, Henry Hoppner, 1783-1847.
• Woolnoth, Thomas, 1785-

Description

• 6 prints : engraving, wood engraving, b&w; 24 x 23 cm. or smaller.
• 1 print : engraving, aquatint?, hand-colored ;

Summary

Portraits and action images of members (by birth or marriage) of the Vestris family of dancers, originally from Florence, Italy. The collection includes bust-length portraits in profile of Gaëtan Vestris and his son Auguste Vestris, published in London Magazine in 1781; a half-length portrait of Armand Vestris, Auguste's son; two copies of a half-length portrait of Caroline Ronzi-Vestris; and a full-length representation of Madame Vestris in costume. A wood-engraving labeled simply Vestris, probably published in the French satirical journal Le Charivari in 1838, depicts a sculpture of a male dancer costumed in a Greek tunic. His face, the features of which are much exaggerated, is turned over his shoulder, away from the viewer. In his left hand is a pochette, the miniature violin often played by dancing masters. The probable date of the print, and the presence of the pochette, suggest that the sculpture depicts Auguste Vestris, a noted teacher as well as a dancer.

Subjects

• Vestris, Armand, 1788?-1825 > Portraits
• Vestris family
• Vestris, Auguste, 1760-1842 > Portraits
• Vestris, Lucia Elizabeth Bartolozzi, 1797-1856
• Portraits
• Vestris, Gaëtan, 1729-1808 > Portraits
• Ronzi-Vestris, Caroline > Portraits
• Engravings

Genre/Form

• Portraits.
• Engravings.

Note

• Title devised by cataloger.
• The print of Madame Vestris, the only item in color in this collection, has been cut out and mounted on cardboard.
• The print of Armand Vestris has been cut out and mounted on paper, with line borders added.
• For information on the Vestris family, see: Dorvane, Jeannine, "Vestris family," in International encyclopedia of dance, New York/Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1998, vol. 6, p. 330-334.

Source (note)

• Vincenzo Celli.
• Lillian Moore.

Biography (note)

• Gaëtan Vestris was one of the seven children of Tommaso and Teresa Vestris. Associated with the Paris Opéra as premier danseur and later ballet master, he was a renowned exponent of the noble style of dancing. He was also known for his monumental ego and amorous exploits.
• Auguste Vestris, the son of Gaëtan Vestris and Marie Allard, first danced at the Paris Opéra at the age of twelve, and went on to become a premier danseur there. He performed in the ballets d'action of Jean Georges Noverre, who sought to bring dramatic logic and coherency to ballet.
• Armand Vestris was the son of Auguste Vestris and Anne-Catherine Augier. Unlike his predecessors, he spent much of his career outside Paris, including an engagement as choreographer at the King's Theatre, London, from 1813 to 1816. He married Lucia Elizabeth Bartolozzi, who used the stage name Madame Vestris.
• The dancer Caroline Ronzi-Vestris was born in 1802, and in 1820 married Charles Vestris, b. 1797. Their dance engagements included the Italian Opera theatre in London.
• Lucia Elizabeth Bartolozzi Vestris, known as Madame Vestris, was an English-born actress and singer who owed her illustrious last name to her brief marriage to the dancer and ballet master Armand Vestris. She later married the British actor Charles James Mathews, and the two became highly successful managers of the Lyceum and Covent Garden theatres in London.

Contents

Signor Vestris Senr. [Gaëtan Vestris]; Lond. Mag. April 1781 / J. Miller sc. -- Monsr. Vestris, Junr. [Auguste Vestris]; London Mage., May 1781 -- Vestris [depiction of a sculpture]; [Le Charivari, 1838?] -- Vestris [Armand Vestris] / J.F. Godelet pinxt.; H. Meyer sculp. -- Madame Ronzi Vestris [Caroline Ronzi-Vestris; 2 copies of print]; [London], Dean & Munday, 1824 / painted by Miss Drummond; engraved by T. Woolnoth -- [Mme. Lucia Eliza Vestris, penciled notation].

Call Number

*MGZFX Ves 1-7

OCLC

826900332

Title

The Vestris family in prints [graphic].

Imprint

1781-[1838?]

Biography

Gaëtan Vestris was one of the seven children of Tommaso and Teresa Vestris. Associated with the Paris Opéra as premier danseur and later ballet master, he was a renowned exponent of the noble style of dancing. He was also known for his monumental ego and amorous exploits.

Auguste Vestris, the son of Gaëtan Vestris and Marie Allard, first danced at the Paris Opéra at the age of twelve, and went on to become a premier danseur there. He performed in the ballets d'action of Jean Georges Noverre, who sought to bring dramatic logic and coherency to ballet.

Armand Vestris was the son of Auguste Vestris and Anne-Catherine Augier. Unlike his predecessors, he spent much of his career outside Paris, including an engagement as choreographer at the King's Theatre, London, from 1813 to 1816. He married Lucia Elizabeth Bartolozzi, who used the stage name Madame Vestris.

The dancer Caroline Ronzi-Vestris was born in 1802, and in 1820 married Charles Vestris, b. 1797. Their dance engagements included the Italian Opera theatre in London.

Lucia Elizabeth Bartolozzi Vestris, known as Madame Vestris, was an English-born actress and singer who owed her illustrious last name to her brief marriage to the dancer and ballet master Armand Vestris. She later married the British actor Charles James Mathews, and the two became highly successful managers of the Lyceum and Covent Garden theatres in London.

Local Note

Cataloging funds provided by Friends of Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

For another copy of Signor Vestris Senr., see: *MGZFB Ves G P 1.

For another copy of Monsr. Vestris, Junr., see: *MGZFB Ves Au P 1.

For another copy of the print of Armand Vestris, see: *MGZFB Ves Ar P 1.

Source

Monsr. Vestris, Junr. Gift; Vincenzo Celli.

[Mme. Lucia Eliza Vestris] Gift; Lillian Moore.

Connect to:

NYPL Digital Collections

Added Author

Godelet, F. Artist

Meyer, Henry Hoppner, 1783-1847. Engraver

Woolnoth, Thomas, 1785- Engraver

Celli, Vincenzo. Donor

Moore, Lillian. Donor

Research Call Number

*MGZFX Ves 1-7