Léon Bakst (1866–1924), after
Schéhérazade
Costume design for an Oriental dancer
Watercolour, gouache and pencil on paper. Inscribed “BAKST 1911” lower left and bearing a stamp dated December 1915 lower right. Framed under glass.
Dimensions: H 51.5 cm × W 37.5 cm (visible).
Condition: good overall condition, with slight foxing and light-struck paper.
Premiered on 4 June 1910 at the Paris Opéra by Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Schéhérazade—with music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and choreography by Michel Fokine—marked a major turning point in stage art. Bakst’s sets and costumes introduced a dazzling palette of blues, greens and coral reds, as well as daring cuts and fluid, translucent fabrics that influenced modern scenography and Parisian haute couture.
This work draws directly on Bakst’s celebrated costume project for Zobeide, the sultan’s favourite wife, immortalised in the original production by Ida Rubinstein.
