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Lux Studios, [1954]., [1954]. Very good. AN ORIGINAL PENCIL, PEN & INK DRAWING BY THE COSTUME DESIGNER MARIA DE MATTEIS FOR THE SOPHIA LOREN MOVIE NEAPOLITAN CAROUSEL WHICH ALSO STARRED THE GREAT BALLET DANCER LEONIDE MASSINE - An approximately 18 inches high by 12 inches wide pen & ink drawing in a 22 inch high by 16 inch wide mat. The drawing depicts a dancer in tights and high boots, a vest over a flowery sleeved blouse, a flowing sash at her waist. A tall large-brimmed straw hat, topped with a flower & veil, over a head scarf adorns the dancer's head. In the background, behind the finished pen & ink drawing, is the penciled outline of another dancer in a long full dress with a tambourine held aloft. Words penciled at right indicate the colors for the garments Maria De Matteis has designed. Boldly identified in blue on the verso as "Carosello Napoletano / 1958 / Regia E. Gianini / Lux Film", with further details identifying the scene penned at the bottom of the verso "Ballerino / Taranbella finale I Zempo" with the artist's name "Maria de Matteis" with her Rome and Firenze addresses centered at the bottom. There are several creases and the drawing is mounted to a brown mat with pieces of brown tape along the edges of the verso. The gallery's label, affixed to the verso of a cardboard backing sheet further attests to the work's provenance. Provenance: From the "Wright / Hepburn / Webster Gallery"; "205 East 60th Street New York, N.Y. 10022", with the gallery's label mounted onto the cardboard backing. The drawing is further identified by them in green ink on their label as "Maria De Matteis, Carosello Napoletano 1958, Regia E. Giannini Lux Film, Baccerino". The drawing is misdated by the gallery as the film was released in 1954. The gallery's mistake is likely due to the the number "3" in the date penned on the verso of the drawing, has been over-written and smudged so that "1953" looks like "1958". Nell Webster, an actress and art dealer, opened her gallery in 1968 with 2 partners. The gallery mounted the first exhibition of contemporary Soviet theater, film, ballet and opera designs to be shown outside the Soviet Union. The Italian costume designer Maria De Matteis, 1898-1988, received numerous nominations and awards for her costume designs including "War and Peace", "The Bible", and "Barabbas". She won the British Academy Film Award for costume design for "Waterloo" and the Nastro d'Argento Award for "The Golden Coach" and "Gastone". Seller Inventory # 99013
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