Léon Bakst

The family of the artist
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, Dance, Theatre, Opera and Music Hall, 18 December 1980, lot 20

A.Levinson, Histoire de Léon Bakst, Paris: Société d'Éditions et de Librairie Henri Reynaud, 1924, pl.XLVIII illustrated
C.Spencer, Leon Bakst, London: Academy Editions, 1973, p.45, no.33 illustrated b/w; p.226, no.33 listed
C.Spencer, Bakst in Greece, Athens: GEMA Publications, 2009, pp.114-115 illustrated
L.Bakst, Serov i ya v Gretsii. Dorozhnye zapiski, Moscow: State Tretyakov Gallery, 2016, p.110 illustrated

The work is executed on artist's board which is sound. The edges and corners are slightly worn and the bottom left corner is frayed. There is a small nick in the paper in the lower left corner. The surface has discoloured and there is general a layer of dirt with spots and handling marks in places. There are the remains of an old label on the reverse of the board. Held behind glass in a gilt wooden frame with a cream slip. 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."

According to Charles Spencer, the present lot is one of the watercolours Bakst executed during his trip to Greece with his mentor and friend Valentin Serov. On 5 May 1907, they boarded a boat at Odessa, sailing first to Constantinople, where they spent two days, and arriving in Athens on 9 May. After a visit to the Acropolis, Bakst went to the Archaeological collection, where he tirelessly sketched statues and vases which were to inform his paintings and work for theatre. From Athens the two friends went to Delphi to see the pan-Hellenic sanctuary, where the oracle of Apollo spoke, and the lush countryside depicted in the present lot. Alexander Benois commented on Bakst's obsession with Greece at the time in an article for the magazine Rech' in 1909: 'Bakst has plunged into Hellas; with what communicative fire he talks of Greece, particularly the discoveries of Evans on Crete. Bakst is obsessed with Hellas, he swears by her, he thinks only of her'.

The label on the reverse suggests that the present lot is connected to Bakst's 1912 set and costume designs for Hélène de Sparte.