Rakewell’s bedroom

The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky was created in French under the title Le Libertin on March 26 1952 at the Brussels Opera House la Monnaie, just a few months after the worldwide work had been created in Venice.

This acquisition comprises seven designs for scenery and props created by Edmond Delescluze and five costume designs by Suzanne Fabry.

The drawing of Rakewell’s bedroom was inspired by the set of prints made by English artist William Hogarth, which explains the character references painted on the backdrop. The story tells how Nick Shadow, a sort of devil, takes control of Tom Rakenwell’s soul. The atmosphere of Tom’s London residence has to suggest a form of madness through the accumulation of many disparate objects.

Bibliography:
Jacqueline Guisset, Une vie à l’opéra, La Renaissance du Livre, Crédit Communal, 2000, p.109