Zéphir
George Cruikshank British
Subject Auguste Vestris French
Not on view
Based on a French print of 1815 titled "Le doyen des Zéphirs, ou Le roi des voltigeurs" (The Dean of the Zéphirs, or King of Vaulters), this British variation caricatures the aging French male ballet dancer Auguste Vestris. The latter's athleticism had, in his youth, gained him fame throughout Europe. Born in Florence, into a large theatrical family, Vestris joined the Paris Opéra in 1776 and became dancing master to Louis XVI. He lived in London during the French Revolution, returned to Paris in 1793, and became an influential teacher after retiring in 1816. As this satire suggests, Vestris was known for his light pirouettes.
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