8
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Untitled is an 8 by Alfred Edward Chalon, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print from 1845 shows Marie Taglioni as the Sylph in the ballet *La Sylphide*. The image freezes her mid-flight, reaching for a bird’s nest in a tree. Romanticism loved ethereal spirits like the Sylph. Taglioni’s father choreographed the ballet in 1832. He used pointe work—not just a trick, but a way to look weightless. Here, she balances on a hidden platform painted to look like a tree trunk. Check out *La Sylphide* next time you’re at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The print depicts Marie Taglioni as the Sylph in *La Sylphide*, a ballet choreographed by her father Filippo Taglioni in 1832, showcasing her pioneering use of pointe work to convey the ethereal character. She is shown in profile, balancing on a branch with a bird’s nest in her right hand, her left foot raised behind her, while wearing a white diaphanous dress with blue wings attached to the back. The tree trunk is adorned with pale yellow and orange roses and green foliage, and her hair is styled with a coronet of matching roses, complemented by pearl jewelry and heelless ballet slippers.…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Alfred Edward Chalon was a Swiss-born British portraitist. He lived in London where he was noticed by Queen Victoria.
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