Louis XV Dress (ref #22A)

Author: Montedoro, Marco
Title: Louis XV Dress (ref #22A)

Description: An original painting by costume designer Marco Montedoro depicting a costume for an unidentified production. The woman wears a Louis XV-style dress complete with a white wig and a hat. The elaborate details of the trim on her dress have been rendered carefully, and a handwritten list on the verso of the sheet hints at the materials Montedoro intended to have used to construct the dress and accessories: "Dress of painted taffeta
hat of velvet white wig" The words "Louis XV Sanguine" are written in Montedoro's hand at the lower right corner. Signed by the artist in pencil at lower right corner. Gouache and pencil on paper. Dimensions: w 10.75 x h 16 in.
Condition: Very good. Paper lightly age-toned and slightly foxed. An open tear at upper left corner. Evidence of yellowed adhesive visible on reverse.



THIS ITEM IS AT OUR DUPONT STORE.

NOTES

Marco Montedoro (1887-1947) was born in Italy to a family of musicians. Regarded as a child prodigy, he was sent to Paris to study drawing and painting as a teenager. He established himself as an artist there, and remained in Paris until 1913 when he became the artistic director of the Metropol in Berlin. Montedoro moved back to Italy for the duration of WWI, where he designed posters for Italian theaters and cinemas. He returned to Paris after the war, and found work designing costumes for Le Palace, Les Ambassadeurs, Moulin Rouge, and Folies Bergère (including a 1927 production featuring Josephine Baker). During this period, he also designed productions in Milan, Berlin, London, St. Petersburg, and Poland.

In 1930, Montedoro relocated to New York City and designed for the Schuberts, including the 1941-1942 Broadway production of La Vie Parisienne. From 1932-1947, he worked alongside Vincinte Minelli designing sets and costumes for Radio City Music Hall, where Montedoro became head designer. Montedoro's talent is featured in Angelo Luerti's 2006 book Non Solo Erté - Not Only Erté, Costume Design for the Paris Music Hall 1918-1940.

Provenance: Before his death, Montedoro gave a significant collection of his designs to his close friend Hella Aronson (a German Jewish newspaper illustrator who had emigrated to New York from Nazi Germany before the beginning of WWII). The collection has remained with the Aronson family since that time.

Seller ID: 1341270

Subject: Arts & Antiques Store