Lot 185
PODRECCA'S PICCOLI THEATRE, ITALY (FOUNDED 1914)
PORTRAIT MARIONETTE OF ANNA PAVLOVA AS PAPILLON, EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Auction: 28 February 2018 from 11:00 GMT
Description
painted wood and fabric
Dimensions
42cm x 90cm x 16cm
Footnote
Note: Founded in Rome in 1914 by Vittorio Podrecca (1883-1959), Podrecca's Piccoli Puppet Theatre, in its days, was one of the most innovative marionette theatres in the world.
Lawyer, journalist, impresario, publisher and editor of the arts magazine 'Primavera', Podrecca secured the skills of some of the most distinguished artists of the time to create designs for his theatre. His love of opera also attracted numerous major composers to write original music for his productions. In 1922 they went on a worldwide tour which included the London Coliseum. For their performances, Podrecca's Piccoli created portrait marionettes of some of the personalities of the day, including Greta Garbo, Maurice Chevalier, Toscanini, Josephine Baker and also the famous Russian Ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881-1931).
Although John Blundall never met Vittorio, he befriended his widow, Lia Podrecca, during one of the company's last tours to the UK in the 1960s. The portrait marionette of Pavlova has been a highly treasured part of Blundall's collection.