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The grand illusion
From the 19th century to the present day, the style of jewellery at the Opera has logically followed the main trends in opera and ballet staging: romanticism, grand opéra, symbolism and postmodernism.
Whether it has been conserved as treasure, reused in different contexts or partially recycled, the jewellery also evokes a conception of illusion.
How can we bring History to life? Or make elsewhere plausible? Or renew the past? Stage jewellery is designed to make us believe, doubt, or simply marvel.
The French Revolution and the Napoleonic saga explain History’s change of status in the 19th century : it sought a philosophy (Hegel) and even tried to define itself as a science (Taine, Marx). This explains the plethora of historical subjects in theatre and opera during the Romantic period, the Second Empire and right up to the beginning of the 20th century.
This trend was reflected in staging, sets, costumes and jewellery. But how was History dealt with? Some costume designers spent long hours studying sources, while others gave free rein to their creative imagination.
Crown worn by Rose Caron in the role of Elisabeth in ‘Tannhäuser’ by Richard Wagner / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headgear for ‘Déjanire’ by Camille Saint-Saëns / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Snake-shaped bracelet for ‘Déjanire’ by Camille Saint-Saëns / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress for ‘Henry VIII’ by Camille Saint-Saëns / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Helmet for ‘Robert le Diable’ by Giacomo Meyerbeer / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
The history dramatised at the Paris Opera was also a matter of borders crossed and redrawn.
It is therefore no coincidence that, at the end of the 19th century, the European Egyptomania resulting from the Bonapartist expedition found expression in the Paris version of Aida, first performed in Cairo by Verdi. Or that Giacomo Meyerbeer’s grand opéra, his testament, is an Africaine that takes us back to the time of the great explorers. Later, the Universal Exhibitions and France’s colonial expansion were also to inspire Parisian audiences.
In all instances, stage jewellery became an essential indication of a form of exoticism. However, preciousness and extravagance vacillated between ethnological precision and unbridled poetic licence.
Costume model for ‘Lakmé’ by Léo Delibes / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Helmet worn by Bessie Abbott in the title role of ‘Lakmé’ by Léo Delibes / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Press illustration for ‘Djelma’ by Charles Lefebvre - A. de Parys (1894) / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress worn by Rose Caron in the title role of ‘Djelma’ by Charles Lefebvre / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress for "L'Africaine" by Giacomo Meyerbeer / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress for ‘L'Africaine’ by Giacomo Meyerbeer / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress for 'Aida' by Giuseppe Verdi / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Plastron necklace for ‘Aida’ by Giuseppe Verdi / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Set of wrist, forearm and arm bracelets for ‘Aida’ by Giuseppe Verdi / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress worn by Meyrianne Héglon, in the role of the Javanese Pyrrha in "La Burgonde" by Paul Vidal / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Costume models for ‘Yedda’ by Olivier Métra / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress for ‘Yedda’ by Arnold Mortier / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Headdress for ‘Le Fils de l'Étoile’ by Camille Erlanger / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Torque / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Egyptian-inspired forearm bracelets / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Tiara worn by Ada Adiny in the role of the Duchesse d'Etampes in ‘Ascanio’ by Camille de Saint-Saëns / BnF, département de la Musique, Bibliothèque-musée de l’Opéra
Glorified during a production, stage jewellery was often, for economic reasons, dismantled to be reused in new productions, which makes the rare pieces that have been preserved in their entirety all the more interesting.
When stage jewellery was reused, the significance of the accessory took on a new perspective, as it moved from one historical period to another, or changed symbol, character or performer.
Nowadays, materials are more rarely recycled. In stage productions, jewellery often takes on a symbolic rather than a literal or factual dimension, even melting into the fabric, paradoxically suggestive of the jewelled costumes of the Ancien Régime.
Exhibition
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
From 28 November 2024 to 28 March 2025 inclusive, at the Paris Opera's Library-Museum (Palais Garnier)
The exhibition is accessible as part of a Palais Garnier visit, except on days when it is exceptionally closed (check calendar) :
