Preserving Marcella Sembrich’s “Queen of the Night”
This Project Is Supported In Part By
Sandy Hill Foundation
This project began three years ago with the professional assessment of Mme. Sembrich's opera costumes. Last Giving Tuesday you helped us launch a $72,500 campaign to preserve the Queen of the Night.
This exquisite gown was featured in the Metropolitan Opera's first production of Mozart's The Magic Flute in 1900 and in the Met's centennial exhibition in 1983, and will be the centerpiece of our 2024 exhibition “Mastering Mozart.”
But first we need to ensure that this costume will survive through another century. This campaign directly funds preservation work by Gwen Spicer, a nationally respected textiles conservator. Once completed, the newly preserved costume will once again exemplify the grandeur of opera in the turn of the 20th century.
Work on the gown begins in late December 2023. We are grateful for your past support to start this campaign and we hope you'll consider a donation to help us close it out!
History of the Costume
New York’s Metropolitan Opera first presented Mozart’s beloved classic Die Zauberflöte on March 30, 1900 with Polish soprano Marcella Sembrich cast as the Queen of the Night. While the program lists Eugène Castel-Bert as the production’s costume designer, prima donnas like Sembrich provided their own gowns, usually designed by some of the preeminent fashion houses of the age. Indeed, Sembrich was given a clothing allowance in her contracts for the purpose of commissioning couture costumes for her appearances on stage.
Sembrich’s Queen of the Night was created by Berlin designer Bertha Pechstein. According to Metropolitan Opera Costume Designer Judy Levin, the embroidered metallic stars on the gown allude to an 1816 Berlin production of the opera, the designs for which were inspired by images from Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. Sembrich’s spangled gown was mentioned in several newspaper articles as one of the most ornate and expensive costumes of the season.
While The Sembrich’s costume collection contains several magnificent textile works, the “Queen of the Night” is arguably one of the most recognizable items in the collection. The costume has been displayed on a rotating basis and on several notable occasions since 1937 including:
December 1941 - The gown was a featured display for a Metropolitan Opera Guild lecture on Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” presented by Bruno Walter.
September 1983 - May 1984 - The gown was displayed in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera house in Lincoln Center as part of their centennial exhibition.
May 2015 - September 2015 - This is the last time the gown was displayed in The Sembrich’s studio museum. It is displayed once every ten years and by special arrangement.
April 2016 - January 2017 - The gown was featured in “Magical Designs for Mozart’s Magic Flute,” a joint exhibit between the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center and Kent State University.
Conservation & Exhibition Activities
Conservation activities will be completed by Gwen Spicer, principal of Spicer Art, LLC. Ms. Spicer has worked with numerous institutions and is a trusted expert in the care of historic textiles. In particular, she has been sought for her specialization in the conservation of historically significant flags and banners, including the multi-year battle flag projects for the collections of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and New York. She received her Master’s degree from the Art Conservation Program at Buffalo State College, State University of New York. She has over twenty-five years of experience, is a Fellow of American Institute for Conservation, and has been in private practice since 1995. It is anticipated that conservation treatments will begin in the fall of 2023 and be completed in May of 2024.
The Queen of the Night gown is slated for display at the studio museum during The Sembrich’s centennial celebration from May through October of 2024. The centennial exhibition will highlight moments from Marcella Sembrich’s storied career, including firsthand accounts by her contemporaries. Accompanying the gown will be several significant mementos from Sembrich’s career, including an inscribed silver punch bowl presented to Sembrich upon her retirement from the Metropolitan Opera in 1909, and a custom jewel casket.
In addition, The Sembrich plans to document the conservation process and publish brief articles as part of our online educational offerings throughout the duration of the project. Following the centennial season, the costume will be available to loan to other institutions.