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

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.