LAUREL WREATH OF HONOR, 1895-96
Possibly designed by Paul Gillot (American (born in France), died 1949)
MADE FOR SARAH BERNHARDT (1844-1923)
GIFTED BY MAURICE GRAU, METROPOLITAN OPERA (1849-1907)
silver-gilt, the ribbon engraved A Madame Sarah Bernhardt, 9 décembre 1896, Maurice Grau and stamped with the French import mark (after 1893)
8 ¼ in (21 cm) long
Provenance
The collection of Mr Michel de Bry, Paris
Chayette & Cheval, Paris, 23 April 1997, lot 168
The collection of Mr Patrick Serraire, Brussels
Exhibited
Paris, Espace Pierre Cardin – Avenue Gabriel, Sarah Bernhardt, 31 March – 30 May 1976
Literature
Sarah Bernhardt, (Espace Pierre Cardin, Paris exh. cat.), 1976, p. 63, no. 177
GIFTED BY MAURICE GRAU, METROPOLITAN OPERA (1849-1907)
silver-gilt, the ribbon engraved A Madame Sarah Bernhardt, 9 décembre 1896, Maurice Grau and stamped with the French import mark (after 1893)
8 ¼ in (21 cm) long
Provenance
The collection of Mr Michel de Bry, Paris
Chayette & Cheval, Paris, 23 April 1997, lot 168
The collection of Mr Patrick Serraire, Brussels
Exhibited
Paris, Espace Pierre Cardin – Avenue Gabriel, Sarah Bernhardt, 31 March – 30 May 1976
Literature
Sarah Bernhardt, (Espace Pierre Cardin, Paris exh. cat.), 1976, p. 63, no. 177
Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) enjoyed a legendary acting career that spanned six decades and earned her the nickname, The Divine Sarah. She found fame with roles such as Cordelia in King Lear and Floria in La Tosca, as well as with her more controversial portrayals of Judas Iscariot and Hamlet. The daughter and niece of Jewish courtesans, Bernhardt was baptised Catholic, but was mercilessly attacked by the popular press for her supposedly Jewish features and behaviour. At the same time, though, she was a revered national figure, patriotically serving France during the Franco-Prussian War and World War I.
In 1880 she undertook the first of nine American tours, which not only established an enduring relationship with audiences overseas, but also with American theatrical pioneers like the Shubert brothers. Her brilliantly orchestrated career included ownership of theatres and the supervision of each of her productions; it was also the product of her savvy cultivation of her public image. Bernhardt was the first major actress to perform on film, a technological novelty that at the time had little artistic cachet. To spectacular international acclaim, she went on to star in eight films. Among the most represented personages of her time, she fascinated her contemporaries and sat for many of the most fashionable artists. She was perhaps the most photographed woman in the world, and attached her name to products ranging from hair curlers to liqueurs. As if this were not enough, Bernhardt herself was a sculptor and painter, which simultaneously heightened her fame and made people suspicious of her manifold talents. Bernhardt’s larger-than-life persona and her extraordinary success as actress and entrepreneur established the template for Hollywood icons as we know them today.
This laurel wreath bears a significant dedication and date, which helps tell a story behind the creation of this piece and the relationship between the recipient, Sarah Bernhardt, and the patron, Maurice Grau.
Maurice Grau (1849-1907) is most remembered today for his management of the Metropolitan Opera in New York (with partners, 1883-84 (Henry E. Abbey), 1891-96 (Henry E. Abbey & John B. Schoeffel), and solely, 1898-1903), and was one of the most important impresarios in the late 19th century in America. He and his associates managed the American tours of Josef Hoffmann, Eugen d’Albert, Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt, and many others. Born in Brünn, Austria, he was brought to America at the age of five and went on to study law at Columbia University. He abandoned his legal position to help his uncle, Jacob Grau, then manager of the French Theatre in New York. Maurice’s first solo venture was to bring to America the great French star of opera bouffe, Marie Aimée. The success of her performances helped consolidate the vogue for opera bouffe in particular and musical theatre in general. After Henry Abbey’s death in 1896, Grau took over the lease of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, skipped a season, and reorganised as the Maurice Grau Opera Co. (1898-1903). He also held the lease on Covent Garden, London (1896-1900), in both theatres offering a vocal ‘golden age’. He revived the Met spring tour, on a city-by-city guaranteed-payment basis; his first three tours (1899-1902) visited thirty-seven cities, twenty-three for the first time in Met history. The programmes of Sarah Bernhardt’s tours in America managed by Maurice Grau (now held in the Metropolitan Opera Archives) shows the actress was touring in America the following years: 1880-81, 1886-87, 1890-92, 1895-96, and in 1900-01, beginning the first of her farewell American tours.
The date 9 December 1896, stamped on the ribbon tie of this laurel wreath, was a significant one for Sarah Bernhardt. As a tribute to the 52-year-old actress, a group of writers and actors planned a day of ‘glorification’ to honour her for her contributions to the world of theatre and to celebrate her thirty years as an actress. A magnificent banquet was held at the Grand Hôtel in Paris, and there were three different menus for the dinner, designed by three different artists. Sardou proposed a toast to the guest of honour, and an orchestra and choir performed a cantata composed for her. A procession of one hundred carriages transported the celebrants to the Renaissance Theatre, where Bernhardt performed extracts from Racine and Parodi. Following her performance, the curtain rose to reveal her robed in white and gold and seated on a flower-strewn throne, with women in adoring poses surrounding her. Then six of France’s leading contemporary poets read sonnets they had composed in her honour. There was no doubt on this day that they were honouring the greatest actress in the world. Each guest received an illustrated album and a silver medal engraved by René Lalique with the image of the actress. A poster portraying the actress as ‘La Princesse Lointaine’ was created by Alphonse Mucha for the banquet as well (fig. 1). The poster proved to be so popular that it was reproduced in La Plume magazine, the Edition d’Art and as a postcard for the department store La Belle Jardinière.
Some of the letters and telegrams received by Bernhardt on this significant day reveal that the actress was given not only greetings and words of admiration, but also various gifts, of which some included laurel wreaths. For example, a letter from the English actor, Wilson Barrett reads (from Jules Huret, Sarah Bernhardt, 1899, p.101):
DEAR MADAME,
I send you a drawing of a silver wreath, which it will be my great pleasure to ask you to accept. The date of the fete to be given in your honour was so uncertain that the jewellers have not had time to finish the wreath, but I hope to be able to send it to you in a few days. Believe me, it is a pleasure to pay this small tribute to so great an artiste as yourself, and to one who has raised our profession to the high standard it now occupies. Kindly send me the names of the different parts created by you which you would like to have engraved on the leaves of the wreath. I have the honour to be
Your great admirer,
WILSON BARRETT
The presentation of a laurel wreath to Bernhardt as an actress was not unusual, in that it was a common act of the time to honour or celebrate actors and other significant figures. The tradition of laurel wreaths worn as personal adornment was revived from the original tradition in ancient Greece, around the 6th century B.C. Worn on the head as a sort of crown, wreaths not only served as decoration but often indicated a great honour, such as a victory in war or an achievement in work or study. Leaves of the grapevine were also used to make wreaths worn by actors who performed in the famous Greek theatres, and laurel wreaths were placed on the heads of artists, poets and scholars who were honoured for their work.
The silver wreath given to Bernhardt by Wilson Barrett as a token of his admiration to signify the December 1896 banquet was not the only laurel wreath received by the actress during her career. A silver laurel wreath was given to Bernhardt during her tour in 1892 in Vienna, Poland and Russia, by the students of the University of Kiev (fig. 2). During her last tour in America, the actress was given a laurel wreath following her performance in Racine’s Phedre in San Francisco in May 1911; and a golden laurel wreath, designed by Paul Gillot, was presented to Sarah Bernhardt when she brought her troupe to the Palace Theatre in New York in May 1913 (fig. 3). Interestingly, Paul Gillot designed the major portion of Sarah Bernhardt’s personal jewellery. It is possible that Gillot and Bernhardt were acquainted prior to her New York engagement. Certainly he saw her perform in Paris during his student days, and he may have been apprenticed at one of the jewellery houses she favoured, before he re-located to New York in April 1902. While no manufacturing records have surfaced regarding the 1913 laurel wreath, judging from period photographs the delicate wreath of golden leaves and silver berries evokes the same quality and craftsmanship as the present laurel wreath given by Maurice Grau to Bernhardt in 1896.
The Metropolitan Opera programmes from this period (now held in the Metropolitan Opera Archives, New York) reveal that retailers of silver, such as Gorham (1902) and Reed & Barton (1886-87) had advertisements within them alongside the cast listings; an interesting correlation which may reveal Grau’s connection with silver retail clients of the day (fig. 4). The tiny stamp of a swan within a circle (located near the edge of the ribbon tie) signifies that the item is made from silver, and was imported to France after 1893. Therefore, it may be that this laurel wreath was manufactured in America, sometime between 1895-96 and then imported to France to be delivered to Bernhardt as a gift from Maurice Grau, most certainly to coincide with her tribute in December 1896.
We would like to thank John Tomasicchio from The Metropolitan Opera Archives in New York and Carol Ockman for their helpful assistance with the research of this piece.
In 1880 she undertook the first of nine American tours, which not only established an enduring relationship with audiences overseas, but also with American theatrical pioneers like the Shubert brothers. Her brilliantly orchestrated career included ownership of theatres and the supervision of each of her productions; it was also the product of her savvy cultivation of her public image. Bernhardt was the first major actress to perform on film, a technological novelty that at the time had little artistic cachet. To spectacular international acclaim, she went on to star in eight films. Among the most represented personages of her time, she fascinated her contemporaries and sat for many of the most fashionable artists. She was perhaps the most photographed woman in the world, and attached her name to products ranging from hair curlers to liqueurs. As if this were not enough, Bernhardt herself was a sculptor and painter, which simultaneously heightened her fame and made people suspicious of her manifold talents. Bernhardt’s larger-than-life persona and her extraordinary success as actress and entrepreneur established the template for Hollywood icons as we know them today.
This laurel wreath bears a significant dedication and date, which helps tell a story behind the creation of this piece and the relationship between the recipient, Sarah Bernhardt, and the patron, Maurice Grau.
Maurice Grau (1849-1907) is most remembered today for his management of the Metropolitan Opera in New York (with partners, 1883-84 (Henry E. Abbey), 1891-96 (Henry E. Abbey & John B. Schoeffel), and solely, 1898-1903), and was one of the most important impresarios in the late 19th century in America. He and his associates managed the American tours of Josef Hoffmann, Eugen d’Albert, Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt, and many others. Born in Brünn, Austria, he was brought to America at the age of five and went on to study law at Columbia University. He abandoned his legal position to help his uncle, Jacob Grau, then manager of the French Theatre in New York. Maurice’s first solo venture was to bring to America the great French star of opera bouffe, Marie Aimée. The success of her performances helped consolidate the vogue for opera bouffe in particular and musical theatre in general. After Henry Abbey’s death in 1896, Grau took over the lease of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, skipped a season, and reorganised as the Maurice Grau Opera Co. (1898-1903). He also held the lease on Covent Garden, London (1896-1900), in both theatres offering a vocal ‘golden age’. He revived the Met spring tour, on a city-by-city guaranteed-payment basis; his first three tours (1899-1902) visited thirty-seven cities, twenty-three for the first time in Met history. The programmes of Sarah Bernhardt’s tours in America managed by Maurice Grau (now held in the Metropolitan Opera Archives) shows the actress was touring in America the following years: 1880-81, 1886-87, 1890-92, 1895-96, and in 1900-01, beginning the first of her farewell American tours.
The date 9 December 1896, stamped on the ribbon tie of this laurel wreath, was a significant one for Sarah Bernhardt. As a tribute to the 52-year-old actress, a group of writers and actors planned a day of ‘glorification’ to honour her for her contributions to the world of theatre and to celebrate her thirty years as an actress. A magnificent banquet was held at the Grand Hôtel in Paris, and there were three different menus for the dinner, designed by three different artists. Sardou proposed a toast to the guest of honour, and an orchestra and choir performed a cantata composed for her. A procession of one hundred carriages transported the celebrants to the Renaissance Theatre, where Bernhardt performed extracts from Racine and Parodi. Following her performance, the curtain rose to reveal her robed in white and gold and seated on a flower-strewn throne, with women in adoring poses surrounding her. Then six of France’s leading contemporary poets read sonnets they had composed in her honour. There was no doubt on this day that they were honouring the greatest actress in the world. Each guest received an illustrated album and a silver medal engraved by René Lalique with the image of the actress. A poster portraying the actress as ‘La Princesse Lointaine’ was created by Alphonse Mucha for the banquet as well (fig. 1). The poster proved to be so popular that it was reproduced in La Plume magazine, the Edition d’Art and as a postcard for the department store La Belle Jardinière.
Some of the letters and telegrams received by Bernhardt on this significant day reveal that the actress was given not only greetings and words of admiration, but also various gifts, of which some included laurel wreaths. For example, a letter from the English actor, Wilson Barrett reads (from Jules Huret, Sarah Bernhardt, 1899, p.101):
DEAR MADAME,
I send you a drawing of a silver wreath, which it will be my great pleasure to ask you to accept. The date of the fete to be given in your honour was so uncertain that the jewellers have not had time to finish the wreath, but I hope to be able to send it to you in a few days. Believe me, it is a pleasure to pay this small tribute to so great an artiste as yourself, and to one who has raised our profession to the high standard it now occupies. Kindly send me the names of the different parts created by you which you would like to have engraved on the leaves of the wreath. I have the honour to be
Your great admirer,
WILSON BARRETT
The presentation of a laurel wreath to Bernhardt as an actress was not unusual, in that it was a common act of the time to honour or celebrate actors and other significant figures. The tradition of laurel wreaths worn as personal adornment was revived from the original tradition in ancient Greece, around the 6th century B.C. Worn on the head as a sort of crown, wreaths not only served as decoration but often indicated a great honour, such as a victory in war or an achievement in work or study. Leaves of the grapevine were also used to make wreaths worn by actors who performed in the famous Greek theatres, and laurel wreaths were placed on the heads of artists, poets and scholars who were honoured for their work.
The silver wreath given to Bernhardt by Wilson Barrett as a token of his admiration to signify the December 1896 banquet was not the only laurel wreath received by the actress during her career. A silver laurel wreath was given to Bernhardt during her tour in 1892 in Vienna, Poland and Russia, by the students of the University of Kiev (fig. 2). During her last tour in America, the actress was given a laurel wreath following her performance in Racine’s Phedre in San Francisco in May 1911; and a golden laurel wreath, designed by Paul Gillot, was presented to Sarah Bernhardt when she brought her troupe to the Palace Theatre in New York in May 1913 (fig. 3). Interestingly, Paul Gillot designed the major portion of Sarah Bernhardt’s personal jewellery. It is possible that Gillot and Bernhardt were acquainted prior to her New York engagement. Certainly he saw her perform in Paris during his student days, and he may have been apprenticed at one of the jewellery houses she favoured, before he re-located to New York in April 1902. While no manufacturing records have surfaced regarding the 1913 laurel wreath, judging from period photographs the delicate wreath of golden leaves and silver berries evokes the same quality and craftsmanship as the present laurel wreath given by Maurice Grau to Bernhardt in 1896.
The Metropolitan Opera programmes from this period (now held in the Metropolitan Opera Archives, New York) reveal that retailers of silver, such as Gorham (1902) and Reed & Barton (1886-87) had advertisements within them alongside the cast listings; an interesting correlation which may reveal Grau’s connection with silver retail clients of the day (fig. 4). The tiny stamp of a swan within a circle (located near the edge of the ribbon tie) signifies that the item is made from silver, and was imported to France after 1893. Therefore, it may be that this laurel wreath was manufactured in America, sometime between 1895-96 and then imported to France to be delivered to Bernhardt as a gift from Maurice Grau, most certainly to coincide with her tribute in December 1896.
We would like to thank John Tomasicchio from The Metropolitan Opera Archives in New York and Carol Ockman for their helpful assistance with the research of this piece.
