Two Costume Designs for the Ballet or Opera

The French artists Louis René Boquet was a prolific stage and costume designer. In 1758, he became the successor to Jean-Baptiste Martin as principal designer of the Paris Opera, but he also designed more widely for the French court under both Kings Louis XV and King Louis XVI. These two costume designs - one in blue and white with yellow and pink accents consisting of ribbons and bows, and the other fully white with pink flower garlands - were intended for ballets or operas. Similar designs to the white dress are preserved at the Bibliotheque de l'Opera Garnier and there identified as "Suivant/Suivantes de l'Himen" (followers or attendants of Himen) from the tragédie lyrique "Ismène et Isménias, ou La Fête de Jupiter" (Ismène and Isménias, or The Festival of Jupiter). It was first performed in 1763 for King Louis XV at Château de Choisy and later also at Fontainebleau and Versailles, but restaged for the public at the Opera, starting in December of 1770. Our design likely relates to this later staging of the tragedy. Boquet's surviving oeuvre further indicates that designs circulated in his workshop in multiple versions, with different drawings serving distinct functions. For example, another drawing by Boquet in the Museum's collection is heavily annotated with details about the fabrics and colors to be used in the design, while the present sheets offer a clean overview of the costume.