The return to original splendor is exemplified by creative restoration techniques used on costumes from Serge Diaghilev’s 1921 Ballets Russes production of The Sleeping Princess.

When No, No, Nanette (which introduced the song “Tea for Two”) returned to Broadway, the show captured four Drama Desk and three Tony awards, including a Tony for Best Costume Design. Once the show closed in February 1973, producer Cyma Rubin and the company of No, No, Nanette gave the Wadsworth Atheneum five drawings by Raoul Pené du Bois (1912-1985) and eight costumes executed by the workshop of Barbara Matera Ltd.

Through the creative talents and technical expertise of Barbara Matera (1929-2001), du Bois’ sketches were brought to life. Ms Matera’s respect for performers was such that the insides of her costumes were given as much care as the outsides.

“Dressing the stars is always exciting and challenging,” Ms Matera once said, “but I like to pay full attention to the other artists — the corps de ballet, choruses, walk-ons, and so on — because the comfort of the people who wear the costume we make is the most important factor to me.”                                   Costumes on display from Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes production of The Sleeping Princess, designed by Leon Bakst, reveal the feats of magic performed by the University of Rhode Island Conservation Laboratory, which restored shattered silks and fabrics damaged by water, rust, and mold.

Wadsworth Atheneum, at 600 Main Street in Hartford, can be reached at  WadsworthAtheneum.org or call 860-278-2670; TDD is 860-278-0294.