Design for masque costume

Details

Workshop of Daniel Rabel (Paris 1578-1637)
Design for masque costume
with numbers '69.' and '4'
pen and dark brown ink, pink and grey wash
11 ¾ x 7 ¾ in. (29.8 x 19.7 cm)

Provenance

Hippolyte-Alexandre-Gabriel-Walter Destailleur, Paris (1822-1893).
Private collection, Germany, by 1985.
with Hobhouse Ltd., London, 1986;
acquired by the late owner in 2008.

Exhibited

London, Victoria and Albert Museum and New York, Wheelock Whitney Gallery, The Court Ballet of Louis XIII. A collection of working designs for costumes 1615-1633, 1986, no. 188, pl. XV (catalogue by M.M. McGowan).

Lot Essay

This fascinating study was part of a collection of 188 costume drawings designed by the workshop of Daniel Rabel for the Court Ballets danced during the reign of Louis XIII (1610-1643). Described by Margaret M. McGowan as a “remarkable figure, unlike others in the collection” (cit.), this design appears to be made entirely of light grey puffs, gathered above the mask, around the neck, the wrists, and the top of the boots. The elongated figural type and the style of the drawing suggest a slightly later date of execution compared to the rest of the sheets.

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