Collection des plus Beaux Numéros Comoedia Illustré et des Programmes consacrés aux Ballets & Galas Russes depuis le Début à Paris 1909-1921

Beautiful collection of souvenir programs of the Ballet Russes.

• Léon Bakst (Russian).
• Jointly edited by Maurice de Brunoff (French) and Jacques de Brunoff (French).
• Paris: M. de Brunoff, [1922].
• Folio.
• Profusely illustrated with full-color covers, mounted and full-page plates, and photographs, including 187 of 188 leaves.
• Original cloth, with inlaid illustrated upper cover from The Firebird by Natalia Gontcharova.

An outstanding visual record of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and Ida Rubinstein's Galas Russes in their most influential years, lavishly illustrated with the works of Bakst, Gontcharova, Larionov, Picasso, Matisse, Massine, Derain, and others. The collection is comprised of special issues of the theatrical periodical "Comoedia Illustré" and souvenir programs devoted to Ballets Russes and Rubinstein's Galas Russes for the seasons 1909-1921, with introductory letterpress text for each season by V. Svetloff. With splendid color and gilt illustrations of costume and set designs, as well as numerous photographic portraits of dancers and production artists. Bakst is the most frequently represented artist in the group; the illustration inlaid to the upper cover is by Natalia Gontcharova.