Artwork
Melle Fiocre
Melle Fiocre is a print by the Impressionist artist Marie-Alexandre Alophe. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This print shows Louise Fiocre as Cupid in a ballet outfit. The artist turned a dancer into the god of love with wings and a bow.
Fun fact: this image comes from a series about Paris Opera dancers. The series was made around 1860 when photography was new and printmaking was popular.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.
Overview
Melle Fiocre / dans l'Amour de Pierre de Médicis is a 19th-century print depicting Louise Fiocre as Cupid in a ballet adaptation of Pierre de Médicis at the Paris Opera.
Subject & Meaning
Louise Fiocre is portrayed as Cupid, identified by wings, a bow, and quiver, blending her ballet role with mythological symbolism. Her costume combines traditional ballet attire with Grecian influences.
Technique & Style
The print, part of the series Les Danseuses de l'Opera, may be a lithographic interpretation of a photograph, allowing for larger scale and hand-colored enhancement, characteristic of the transitional period between photography and printmaking.
History & Provenance
Created around 1860 for the Paris Opera's Pierre de Médicis, the print reflects the era's requirement for operas to include a ballet, often performed in the third act to accommodate the audience's preferences.
Context
Produced during the early commercial viability of photography, the work exemplifies the practice of translating photographs into lithographs for aesthetic and display purposes, catering to the popularity of printmaking at the time.
Artist & collection
Artist
French lithographer who printed theater stars on silky paper in the 1860s. His prints capture ballerinas in *La Sylphide* and *Marco Spada*, Mademoiselle Fiocre in a Florentine drama, and Mademoiselle Plunkett twirling…
