Costume Design for a Valet, likely for the Ballet 'Les Papillons', premiered at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo, 1914

Léon Bakst

ca. 1914 · Gouache and graphite · Drawings and Prints

Drawing with a costume design for a valet, likely for the ballet 'Les Papillons,' by Léon Bakst. Les Papillons was premiered at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo in 1914, performed by the Ballets Russes led by Serge Diaghilev. The designs for this ballet marked the end of a break of almost two years in which Bakst stopped collabroating with Diaghilev. Although Bakst was recognized for the orientalist inspiration and a sensational style, the designs for this ballet were much more pared down, with a subtler use of color and a less sensuous line of the body, which by 1914 had become an essential part of the Ballet Russes and the modern ballet scene in Paris. This drawing presents a standing male figure with a greenish-brown jacket with white borders, tied around the waist with a thin belt, white pantaloons, and black boots. The head is adorned by a black top hat, and the arm carries a white shawl with fringed border and geometric motifs executed with blue, orange, and red.

Artist

Léon Bakst

Date

ca. 1914

Medium

Gouache and graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Sallie Blumenthal, 2015