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Stage jewellry at the Paris Opera
Exhibition
From 28 November 2024 to 28 March 2025 inclusive, at the Paris Opera's Library-Museum (Palais Garnier)
Curators: Isabelle Stibbe, dramaturg at the Paris Opera and Jérôme Fronty, chief curator and head of collections at the Bibliothèque nationale de France
The exhibition is accessible as part of a Palais Garnier visit, except on days when it is exceptionally closed (see calendar) :
It sparkles, it amazes, it dazzles. The Paris Opera’s stage jewellery, specially designed to be worn on stage, contributes as much to the glamour of the institution as to that of its performers.
Yet its materials are anything but precious : brass gives the illusion of gold, coloured glass the appearance of precious stones, rhinestones the sparkle of diamonds. This does not mean that it is not made with remarkable care and skill.
Such is the paradox of stage jewellery which seeks to convey truth through falsehood – the very principle of theatrical illusion.
It would be simplistic to appreciate stage jewellery merely for its beauty. As early as the 19th century, it acquired a significant function: it often became a central element of the plot of a work, or clarified understanding of the theatrical action.
As for its design, should one emphasise historical authenticity, geographical precision, attention to detail or visual pleasure? From the 19th century to our own times, designers have oscillated between these tendencies, adjusting their focus according to the period, aesthetics and fashions.
Constituted essentially from the Second Empire onwards, the Paris Opera’s fabulous collection of stage jewellery, kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, comprises about 4,000 pieces. The jewellery on display here offers a glimpse of these accessories, which are essential to the magic of performances.
Visual of the exhibition poster: Headdress for the opera Cendrillon by Jules Massenet
After Charles Bianchini - 1899, Brass, glass stones and fabric
BnF, Music Department, Bibliothèque-musée de l'Opéra
