Marie Taglioni

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed in ink (bottom left): Taglioni

This portraitback to top

This water-colour shows Taglioni performing the Tyrolienne dance in Rossini's 'Guillaume Tell'; she danced this in 1830, and again at the King's Theatre, Haymarket, April-July 1831 (information kindly provided by C. R. Williams). A lithograph by R. J. Lane, after another water-colour by Chalon, published 1831 (example in NPG), shows her in the same costume. Other water-colours of Taglioni by Chalon are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and five were sold Christie's, 20 January 1970 (lot 46), bought Fine Art Society. Some of these and a great number of other Chalon water-colours were lithographed by Lane and other artists (examples in NPG and Victoria and Albert Museum), and two were exhibited RA, 1832 (519), and 1851 (1139). Several of the Lane lithographs are recorded in his 'Account Books' (NPG archives). The NPG water-colour forms part of a small collection of water-colours by Chalon of theatrical personalities.

Physical descriptionback to top

In a white, red and black costume, with red bows, blue and white stockings and brown shoes.

Provenanceback to top

Purchased from Mrs Florence Blake, 1922.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

View all known portraits for Marie Taglioni