Lev Samoilovich Bakst, 1866-1924

Collection Jules Chavasse, Paris, (Lugt 1430) 
Sale Jules Chavasse, Loys Delteil, Paris, 6 June 1919
Acquired at the above sale by his nephew 
Thence by decent

The sheet is discoloured and there are stains and repaired losses along the edges; here there are also old glue stains where the sheet has presumably been laid down. The sheet is a little wavy and there are smudges to the pencil lines. A few very small spots of foxing are visible, the colours are a little faded and there are some light rubbing to the pigment (right calf). Held in a black and gold painted wooden frame and behind glass. Unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes revolutionized the world of ballet between 1909 and 1929, altered ideas of theatre design and produced some of the greatest music of the twentieth century. The influence of the Ballets Russes and Diaghilev's strong belief in the Gesamtkunstwerk, or synthesis of all the arts, which for ballet meant linking music, decorative design and choreography, was felt all over Europe as well as North and South America. The one country in which the Ballets Russes company never performed was pre and post-revolutionary Russia.

Léon Bakst's reputation as the greatest, and certainly the most influential artist of twentieth-century ballet design, has been based for the most part on his sensual orientalist costumes for Schéhérazade, Cléopâtre, Thamar, Le Dieu Bleu, and Les Orientales, and two costumes for La Péri, all designed for the Ballets Russes. A swirling scarf, peacock-hue ornaments, colourful costume, head-dress feathers, and a pert, exposed breast make La Péri one of the most enchanting and desirable of all Bakst's beautiful female costumes. It is quintessential Bakst and one of the defining images of the Ballets Russes .

La Péri is a Persian tale about a 'peri' or Persian fairy who, expelled from heaven, seeks to return there after various earthly adventures, by using a magic talisman. Diaghilev commissioned Bakst to create a ballet scenario on this topic with music by the French composer Paul Dukas. Bakst was also to design the set and costumes.  It was scheduled for the 1911 Ballets Russes season in Paris, but not produced, the chief reason being that Dukas had insisted that the lead role be given to his mistress, the plump, amateurish dancer Natalia Trouhanova, who was not part of the Ballets Russes company. Vaslav Nijinsky was to have been her partner in the role of the warrior Iskander. Endless arguments ensued between Diaghilev, Dukas, the choreographer Michel Fokine and Bakst. Trouhanova did not come to Monte Carlo for rehearsals, and the ballet was eventually cancelled. Fortunately, both Bakst designs for Trouhanova's and Nijinsky's gorgeous costumes had already been photographed for publicity purposes and were printed in souvenir programs announcing the forthcoming Ballets Russes season (fig.1). This brought the designs to the attention of balletomanes and art lovers in Paris. In April 1912, Trouhanova did perform in a concert version of La Péri at the Théâtre du Châtelet, but not in Bakst's costume.

So beautiful and desirable was the costume that a hand-coloured print based on the original design was issued in 1911 in an edition of 50 copies. Later, after Bakst's death in 1924, another larger hand-coloured print was created in an edition of 100. One other larger repeat of the 1911 costume exists in the Lobanov-Rostovsky collection, however the location of the original remained undisclosed for many years.

It is rare to come upon a prototype Bakst costume design with such an impeccable provenance. According to family history the art dealer and collector Jules Chavasse purchased the present lot directly from Bakst. Following Chavasse's death in early 1919, his collection was sold at auction in Paris, on 6^th June 1919, and the costume design for La Péri was acquired by a nephew for 900 francs. The design has remained in the family until now.

No one is certain about the whereabouts of the prototype for Iskander, although all three original designs were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris in 1911. A beautiful, large later version, which Bakst produced for an exhibition in New York City in 1922 is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York (fig.2). The larger versions of both La Péri and Iskander were borrowed and hung together at the fine Diaghilev exhibition and first ever Diaghilev Festival at Groeningen, The Netherlands, in December 2004 - March 2005. It was a treat to be able to admire them on the same wall and viewers of both sexes remained rooted in front of the alluring, dancing figure of La Péri.

We are grateful to Nina Lobanov-Rostovsky for providing the note for this lot.