Ataliba König von Quito im Ballet die Inkas getanzt von H. Corally

What you are looking at

A single figure stands alone against a plain background in a theatrical pose that reads as heroic and commanding. The dancer wears a striking crimson or scarlet cloak with gold embroidered borders, lined with white silk, which billows dramatically around the body. The cloak is held aloft by the raised right arm while the left arm extends outward in a gesture of presentation or proclamation. Beneath the cloak, the costume shows a white tunic or kilt reaching to mid-thigh, paired with fitted leg wrappings or boots that extend to the ankle, typical of early 19th-century theatrical orientalism. A ornate gold necklace and plumed white headdress complete the outfit. The figure's weight is planted on the back leg, the front leg extended slightly forward, creating the impression of forward momentum held in check—a pose between action and repose. The full extension of the cloak creates a magnificent silhouette that frames the body and suggests the dynamism of performance.

The dancing

The single dancer's frame is upright and expansive, with the torso open to the viewer and the gaze directed upward and away, avoiding direct eye contact—a theatrical convention of the period. The raised right arm lifts the cloak's corner to approximately shoulder height while the left arm extends horizontally in what appears to be an open, welcoming or commanding gesture. The stance is grounded rather than ethereal: the legs are firmly planted, the weight settling into the back leg while the front leg achieves a modest extension rather than a turned-out lift. There is no indication of raised heel work or the demitasse positions of ballet vocabulary; instead, the legs suggest a walking stride momentarily arrested and exaggerated for theatrical effect.

The dance depicted

This appears to be a solo from an early 19th-century European theatrical ballet depicting an Incan or South American 'exotic' character, as confirmed by the title inscription referencing 'Ataliba König von Quito' (Ataliba, King of Quito) and 'Ballet die Inkas' (Ballet of the Incas). The printed inscription attributes the costume design or choreographic direction to 'H. Corally,' likely a performer or choreographer of the period. The pose and costume suggest a dramatic solo moment rather than a virtuosic ballet sequence: this is character work in the Romantic ballet tradition, where exotic or non-European roles were performed by European dancers in orientalist dress. The dance itself appears to be a stationary dramatic gesture rather than a traveling step phrase, prioritizing the visual impact of costume and pose over technical footwork.

How it was made

This is a hand-colored engraving or aquatint, likely from the 1820s–1840s based on the printing style and paper tone. The image shows the characteristic line work and shallow modeling of an engraved plate, with hand coloring applied afterward—visible in the careful rendering of the crimson cloak, the gold trim, and the flesh tones. The technique allowed for multiple prints to be produced from the same plate, making theatrical documentation and costume designs reproducible and distributable to a wide audience beyond the theater itself. The scale and finish suggest this was a professional publication aimed at dancers, choreographers, or theatrical patrons interested in recording notable roles and performers.

About this work

This is a theatrical costume design or stage portrait documenting a Romantic-era ballet character, likely from a work performed in Vienna or another German-speaking cultural center in the early 19th century. The work sits within the tradition of orientalist ballet, where European choreographers and dancers appropriated exotic and non-European identities for dramatic effect. The inscription suggests this image was created to preserve or publicize a specific performer's interpretation of an Incan king's role, making it both a dance document and a record of how European theater imagined and costumed the non-European world.

How to look at it

Attend to the way the costume is used to create spectacle: the cloak is not incidental but the primary visual gesture, lifted and framed by the dancer's arm. Notice that this is not a posed arabesque or attitude—the stance is grounded and frontal, closer to statuary or historical painting than to ballet technique proper. The raised plume in the headdress and the gold embroidery draw the eye upward and outward, reading the figure as regal rather than athletic. The gesture of the left arm—open, extended, almost vulnerable despite the martial costume—is the emotional center of the pose.

The artist

The artist is not recorded in the catalogue. The inscription credits a performer or choreographer named 'H. Corally' with the costume design or scenario. The print itself is a professional theatrical publication, suggesting it was created by a commercial engraving house serving the theater market—common practice in Vienna and other European theater centers during the 1820s–1840s.

The period

This work dates to the height of Romantic ballet in Europe, a period when choreographers and dancers were fascinated by the 'exotic'—whether historical (medieval), geographical (Ottoman, Incan, Indian), or fantastical (supernatural). The early 19th-century ballet stage was populated by orientalist fantasies in which European dancers, primarily women but also men in character roles, performed invented versions of distant cultures. The politics of these representations were entirely unquestioned at the time: the combination of fine costume, statuesque pose, and absence of technical virtuosity in roles like this one conveyed nobility and exoticism without demanding the footwork expected of a prima ballerina. Such roles were often assigned to male dancers or to dancers less celebrated for technique.

Where it lives

The print is held in the New York Public Library's collection of prints depicting dance, catalogued as 'Prints depicting dance.' It is a theatrical publication, likely produced in Vienna or a German-speaking center and distributed among theater professionals and patrons in the 1820s–1840s.

Dance in this work

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