Alexander Nikolaevich Benois

Madame Anna Tcherkessoff, the artist's daughter, Paris
Sotheby & Co., London, Diaghilev Ballet Material: Costumes, Costume Designs and Portraits, 13 June 1967, lot 72
Robert Paterson, acquired from the above
Sotheby's London, Ballet and Theatre Material, 13 March 1980, lot 58
Christie's London, Imperial and Post-Revolutionary Russian Art, 6 October 1988, Lot 487
Sotheby's London, The Russian Sale, 19 December 1996, lot 173

Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Ballets Russes de Diaghilev, 1909-1929, April-May 1939, no.123
Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, 4e Festival International de la Danse, En Commémoration des Balles russes de Serge de Diaghilev et pour le centenaire de la naissance d'Eric Satie, 1966
Strasbourg, L'Ancienne Douane, Les Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev, 1909-1929, May - September 1969, no.283

There are repaired tears and creases on all four corners and further small tears and creasing along the edges and elsewhere. There is light foxing to the card and a very small spot of water-staining in the upper right quadrant. There are also some glue stains to the aforementioned repairs. The colours have faded a bit. Held in a simple black painted wooden frame and under glass. Unexamined out of frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1914 Sergei Diaghilev created a ballet based on Igor Stravinsky's opera Le Rossignol and commissioned Benois to design an elaborate, Chinese-inspired stage décor and costumes. Such was the popularity of this production, that Diaghilev, against Stravinsky's wishes, approached Henri Matisse to work on a second, shorter version titled Le Chant du Rossignol. Stravinsky later complained:  'The production, and especially Matisse's part in it were failures. Diaghilev hoped Matisse would do something very Chinese and charming. All he did do, however, was to copy the china in the shops of La rue de la Boétie.' (Stravinsky cited in M.Boyden et al, The Rough Guide to Opera, 3rd ed. London: Penguin, 2002, p.502)

Benois' designs for acts II and III are in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.