Beschreibung:

Nikolai Alexandrovich Benois (Russian, 1901-1988) Design for Chandelier for Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3, Theme and Variations Finale Unsigned, inscribed in pencil with fabrication instructions flanking the drawing. Graphite with gold pigment on paper, sight size 19 x 13 in. (48.5 x 33.0 cm), framed. Condition: Rippling, scattered foxing, not examined out of frame. Provenance: Attributed to the collection of Karin von Aroldingen, New York, in a handwritten note attached to the frame. N.B. In 1947, Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre) commissioned George Balanchine to choreograph Theme and Variations, based upon the final movement of Tschaikovsky's Suite No. 3 in G Major, Op. 55. The New York City Ballet website provides the following commentary: "In 1970, Balanchine decided to choreograph Tschaikovsky's entire suite for New York City Ballet, incorporating Theme and Variations as the ballet's fourth and final movement with only minor revisions. The scenery and costumes were designed by Nicolai Benois, son of Alexandre Benois the designer of many early ballets commissioned by Diaghilev, with the first three movements danced in a softly lit ballroom, which transforms for the grandeur of the ballet's final movement." (1.) The ballet premiered in December 1970 at the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. In an online video excerpt from the ballet on the NYC Ballet Web site, one can catch a glimpse of the bottom of Benois's chandelier in the center of the set. 1. https://www.nycballet.com/ballets/t/tschaikovsky-suite-no-3.aspx (accessed 7/23/13).