On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Dress
Design House Boué Soeurs French
Designer Sylvie Boué de Montegut (French, 1872–1953) French
Designer Jeanne d’Etreillis (French, 1876–1957) French
Not on view
The whimsical embroidered illustrations on this Boué Soeurs frock are particularly remarkable. Meandering vines of flowers entwine to form a frame around the bodice and skirt that encloses a pair of lissome dancers, their bodies in motion with limbs gracefully arcing skyward. The exotic costumes that clothe the figures evoke the aesthetics of the fashionable Parisian dance ensemble the Ballets Russes (1909–1929), founded by the Russian art critic Serge Diaghilev. Though the delicate pastel materials of this garment may seem antithetical to the typically bold exoticism associated with Diaghilev’s company, the stylized embroidery captures the troupe’s spirit and attests to its cultural impact.
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