#dec arts

Léon Bakst (1866 - 1924) (designer), Marie Muelle (costumier), Costume for a brigand, c.1912

For the Ballets Russes.

The role of a curator is a lot more complex than you may think! Hear from Catherine Futter, our Senior Curator of Decorative Arts, on how she accesses the collection and works collaboratively with nearly every department across the Museum. You’ll also get a peek into our new exhibition Design: 1880 to Now, which highlights some of the most important design movements during that period.⁠⠀

Jean Schlumberger (French, 1907-1987), Amethyst, Sapphire and Diamond 'flèches' Clip-brooch, 1948

9.8 X 8.6 cm (3 7⁄8 X 3 3⁄8 In), 71.8 g

Image of it worn for scale under cut.

AN EXTREMELY RARE EMBROIDERED 'PEACOCK FEATHER' CAPE QING DYNASTY, LATE 19TH CENTURY

The long cape entirely constructed with layers of overlapping peacock feather shaped panels, each panel finely worked in satin stitch, the silk threads in tones of ivory, yellow and blue on the eye of the peacock feather, and the surround intricately worked in peacock feather filaments, with one cloth button on the collar and another near the waist, finished with Imperial yellow lining.

Natalia Goncharova (1881 - 1962) (designer), Costume for a squid, c. 1916

For the Ballets Russes' production of "Sadko."

Etude de la Plante: Son application aux industries d'art by M.P. Verneuil was published in 1903 and is an incredible resource for botanical art. In it, Verneuil combines incredibly detailed, technical drawings of plants and then breaks down how they can be simplified and abstracted for use in decorative art. Here are some examples using irises, where you can see he even provided ideas for specific forms of decorative art, such as mosaics, stained glass, and wallpaper: