#melissinde

[lepetitdragonvert]

La princesse Mélissinde et le chevalier Bertrand / Princess Melisande and Bertrand

Artist : Auguste François Gorguet (1862-1927)

[pagansphinx]

Sarah Bernhardt in the role of Melissinde 'La Princesse Lointane by Edmund Rostand, Theatre de la Renaissance • 1895

Sarah Bernhardt's stage jewelry for the role of Princesse Lointain was designed by René Lalique (1860-1945).

[mote-historie]

1895 Sarah Bernhardt in the role of Melissinde ‘La Princesse Lointaine’ or Faraway Princess by Edmond Rostand, Theatre de la Renaissance.  

By 1890 Lalique had his own workshop and atelier, and a workforce of 30. Patronage from actress Sarah Bernhardt in the mid 1890s led to her wearing spectacular stage jewellery designed by him. In 1896 during an evening of celebration to mark Bernhardt’s 30 years as an actress each guest received a silver medal engraved by Lalique with her image. Bernhardt would introduce Lalique to a wealthy Portuguese art collector, Calouste Gulbenkian. He would commission 145 jewelled objects between 1895 and 1912, freeing Lalique up from any financial concerns, while allowing his creativity to soar. A display of his work at the Exposition Universelle in 1900 is considered the peak of his jewellery career; in the same year he was awarded Officer of the French Legion D’Honneur. (x) 

[songesoleil]

La Princesse lointaine.1910. Œuvres complètes illustrées de Edmond Rostand. Illustrations en couleurs et en noires, dans le texte et hors texte de MM. Luc-Olivier Merson, A.-F. Gorguet, Georges Rochegrosse, Lévy-Dhurmer. Librairie Pierre Lafitte et Cie. Paris.

JOFFROY je grelotte…

MELISSINDE Joffroy, Vous êtes dans mes bras, serré…

JOFFROY Je n’ai plus froid, Mais un frisson d’angoisse horrible me traverse. Êtes-vous là ? MELISSINDE Sur ma poitrine je vous berce Tout doucement, comme un petit !

JOFFROY Je n’ai plus peur.

Acte IV.

[ephemeral-elegance]

Two Piece Diadem, ca. 1895

Diadem and Poster designed by Mucha

Worn by Sarah Bernhardt as Mélissinde in the play La Princesse Lointaine

via The Jewish Museum and The Mucha Foundation