Costume Design for a Female Courtier, likely for the Ballet 'La Belle au Bois Dormant' (Sleeping Beauty), premiered at the Alhambra Theatre in London, 1921

Drawing with a costume design for a female courtier, likely for the ballet 'La Belle au Bois Dormant' (Sleeping Princess), premiered at the Alhambra Theater in London in 1921. The design was created by Léon Bakst in the later part of his career, while seriously ill, only a few years before his death. This was the last of his collaborations with Serge Diaghilev, his longtime partner in the Ballets Russes, who approached him in 1920 to work with him in the production. The Sleeping Princess, created by the famous choreographer Petipa and the director of the Imperial Ballet, Vsevolojsky, was the finest classical ballet in the repertoir of the Ballets Russes, presented with the grandiose stage and costume designs by Bakst, using his already traditional mix of bold colors and orientalist inspirations.



This drawing presents a standing female figure with a light blue court dress, bordered with white ribbons and garlands of green leaves, and decorated with small bundles of pink and white roses. The loose, curly hair is topped by a light blue ribbon, and the legs and feet are covered with white tights and shoes. The drawing contains notes describing the details of the design: light silk to create movement, diamond and feathers for decorations, thin roses.