happened to stay, Thorwaldsen, Longhi and Canova being among the
more prominent of the sculptors and artists whom he came to know.
He became a connoisseur and collector of paintings, sculpture
carvings, cameos, jewellery, old instruments; had a remarkable library,
not only of books in Greek, Latin, Italian, French, English, German
and Spanish, but an interesting collection of music, from Palestrina to
his own time, his library and gallery being valued at somewhere about
ten thousand pounds.
He started his professional career and travels at the age of twelve,
when he appeared as a dancer in the leading theatre at Marseilles,
then at Aix, Avignon, Lyons, Toulouse; finally settling with his family
for some time at Bordeaux, where he had a very successful début and
where—under the able direction of Dauberval, of whom we have
already heard—most of the best dancers in France appeared
preparatory to an engagement in Paris.
Blasis then received an invitation to the capital, where his début
was so extraordinarily successful that he was promptly placed in the
front rank, and for a time studied under the famous Gardel, who
thought so highly of him that he selected for him as partner in several
ballets, Mlle. Gosselin, one of the leading dancers at the Opera,
followed by Mlle. Legallois, a dancer of the classic school.
On account of intrigues and cabals—which are not, alas, unusual in
the theatrical profession, or in any other perhaps—Blasis left the
Opera and was next engaged at Milan, first going on a successful tour,
during which he composed various ballets, notably “Iphigénie en
Aulide,” “La Vestale,” “Fernando Cortez,” “Castor and Pollux,” “Don
Juan” and “Les Mystères d’Isis.”
His appearance at La Scala, Milan, was triumphant, and he
remained there for fourteen seasons, as dancer and ballet-composer.
Then followed a successful Italian tour. Painters, sculptors and
engravers as well as various poets celebrated his progress, and one
Venetian painter, having seen him dancing some pas de deux with his
famous partner Virginia Leon, in which they entwined and enveloped
themselves in rose-coloured veils—presumably very much as Mordkin