In a sui generis gesture to one client, this velvet cape for Lady Mendl refers to her taste for eighteenth-century style and the spectacular, and celebrates the Apollo Founrtain and its proximity to her house in the Parc de Versailles.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Detail: sequin design at center front.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:"Apollo of Versailles"
Design House:Schiaparelli (French, founded 1927)
Designer:Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)
Date:winter 1938–39
Culture:French
Medium:silk, metallic
Credit Line:Gift of Estate of Lady Mendl, 1951
Accession Number:C.I.51.83
Marking: [label] Made in France
The John Wanamaker Auditorium. "Exhibition of Dresses Worn by Well-known Women of Europe and America," May 1, 1940–May 31, 1940.
John Wanamaker. "Exhibition of Dresses Worn by Well-known Women of Europe and America," June 5, 1940–July 5, 1940.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The 10s, the 20s, the 30s: Inventive Clothes, 1909–1939," December 13, 1973–September 3, 1974.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "American Women of Style," December 13, 1975–August 31, 1976.
National Gallery of Victoria. "Fabulous Fashion (1907–67)," 1981.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Dance," December 17, 1986–September 6, 1987.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Haute Couture," December 7, 1995–March 24, 1996.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Blithe Spirit: The Windsor Set," November 1, 2002–February 9, 2003.
Philadelphia Museum of Art. ""Shocking!" The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli," September 28, 2003–January 4, 2004.
Musée de la Mode et du Textile. ""Shocking!" The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli," March 17, 2004–August 29, 2004.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations," May 10–August 19, 2012.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Costume Institute's collection of more than 33,000 costumes and accessories represents five continents and seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children.