The Decorative Art of Leon Bakst

London: The Fine Art Society, 1913. First English edition. Hardcover. Good to fine condition. Folio. [8], 51pp. (text), 77 [1] leaves (plates). Uncut. Original gilt-stamped three-quarter vellum over decorative, paper-covered boards, with Bakst signature stamped to cover, gilt lettering on green leather label, and gilt ruling on spine. Top edge gilt. Mounted photogravure frontispiece portrait of Leon Bakst with his facsimile signature below gravure. Title page printed in red and black. Historiated head- and tailpieces after Bakst. Chapter titles and initials printed in red.

Lev Samoylovich Rosenberg (Bakst), painter and stage designer, realized his greatest artistic success in the Alesandrinksy and Maryinsky theaters, and later from 1901 to 1921 with Diaghilev at the Ballet Russe where he designed more productions than any other artist. Theater and costume designs for more than ten ballet works appear in this splendid edition containing 77 tipped-in plates, all but one after Bakst, 4 of them folding and 50 in full color, with pochoir highlights.

The striking plates of Leon Bakst's stage sets and costumes for the Ballet Russe are accompanied by synopses of the plays by Jean Cocteau for whom they were designed. Bakst’s brilliant control of color, line and decoration give his stage pictures a visual rhythm. Color and chromatic combinations were used emotionally and sensuously. The splendid costumes are richly decorated with a myriad of motifs and decorative shapes. Captions for each plate on facing plates.
Covers with minor smudging, interior in near fine to fine condition.

Binding with some rubbing on front over and spine. Title page with small inked initials (HTK). Interior and plates in fine condition.