Ida Rubinstein as Saint Sebastian
painter
Léon Bakst
(Hrodna, Belarus, 1866 - 1924, Paris, France)
Date1911
Place MadeRussia, Europe
MediumWatercolor and shell silver over graphite on laid paper
Dimensions27.9 x 20.6 cm (11 x 8 1/8 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession number3.1.o.91
eMuseum ID721687
EmbARK ObjectID10927
Original Number2.1.o.10
Previous NumberP17e87
TMS Source ID186
Last Updated10/3/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentarySigned lower right: Bakst / 1911; inscribed at top: St. Sébastien II acte / Mme Ida Rubinstein
Born Lev Rosenberg to a middle-class Jewish family in Belarus, Léon Bakst studied art in St. Petersburg and Paris. His close collaboration with the dancer and choreographer Serge Diaghilev resulted in striking costumes and scenery for the Ballets Russes. Drawing on folk art, Middle Eastern, and Asian motifs, Bakst’s sensuous designs caused a sensation throughout Europe.
In 1911, the celebrated dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein (1885–1960) produced a ballet in Paris called Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien. With a book by Gabriele D’Annunzio, music by Claude Debussy, and choreography by Michel Fokine, the ballet was one of great triumphs of the period. The top drawing is a costume study for Rubinstein, who reportedly stunned Paris audiences with her poignant acting. The drawing below is a costume design for the equally celebrated ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) in the production of Oriental Fanstasy (also called Ballet Hindu), which opened in London in October 1913, and was performed later that same month in Boston.
Isabella Stewart Gardner’s passion for music and dance nearly equalled her interest in the visual arts. The avant-garde dancer Ruth St. Denis performed at Fenway Court in 1906, and these drawings present further evidence of Mrs. Gardner’s interest in performance. Both drawings were purchased in 1914 at a touring exhibition of Bakst’s drawings held at the Boston Art Club.
Source: Alan Chong, "Ida Rubinstein as Saint Sebastian, Anna Pavlova in the Ballet 'Oriental Fantasy,'" in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 122.
Born Lev Rosenberg to a middle-class Jewish family in Belarus, Léon Bakst studied art in St. Petersburg and Paris. His close collaboration with the dancer and choreographer Serge Diaghilev resulted in striking costumes and scenery for the Ballets Russes. Drawing on folk art, Middle Eastern, and Asian motifs, Bakst’s sensuous designs caused a sensation throughout Europe.
In 1911, the celebrated dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein (1885–1960) produced a ballet in Paris called Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien. With a book by Gabriele D’Annunzio, music by Claude Debussy, and choreography by Michel Fokine, the ballet was one of great triumphs of the period. The top drawing is a costume study for Rubinstein, who reportedly stunned Paris audiences with her poignant acting. The drawing below is a costume design for the equally celebrated ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) in the production of Oriental Fanstasy (also called Ballet Hindu), which opened in London in October 1913, and was performed later that same month in Boston.
Isabella Stewart Gardner’s passion for music and dance nearly equalled her interest in the visual arts. The avant-garde dancer Ruth St. Denis performed at Fenway Court in 1906, and these drawings present further evidence of Mrs. Gardner’s interest in performance. Both drawings were purchased in 1914 at a touring exhibition of Bakst’s drawings held at the Boston Art Club.
Source: Alan Chong, "Ida Rubinstein as Saint Sebastian, Anna Pavlova in the Ballet 'Oriental Fantasy,'" in Eye of the Beholder, edited by Alan Chong et al. (Boston: ISGM and Beacon Press, 2003): 122.
BibliographyNotesMartin Birnbaum. Catalogue of an Exhibition of Original Works by Léon Bakst. Exh. cat. (Buffalo: Albright Art Gallery, 1913), pp. 9, 18, no. 63.
Martin Birnbaum. Special Exhibition of the Work of Léon Bakst. Exh. cat. (Cincinnati: Cincinnati Museum of Art, 1914), p. 15, no. 63.
Philip Hendy. Catalogue of Exhibited Paintings and Drawings (Boston, 1931), p. 22.
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 130.
Philip Hendy. European and American Paintings in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1974), pp. 10-11, ill.
Rollin van N. Hadley. Museums Discovered: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1981), p. 118-19, ill.
Alan Chong et al. (eds.) Eye of the Beholder: Masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 2003), pp. 122-23, ill.
Guy Cogeval et al. Debussy, La musique et les arts. Exh. cat. (Paris: Musée de l'Orangerie, 2012), p. 185.
Martin Birnbaum. Special Exhibition of the Work of Léon Bakst. Exh. cat. (Cincinnati: Cincinnati Museum of Art, 1914), p. 15, no. 63.
Philip Hendy. Catalogue of Exhibited Paintings and Drawings (Boston, 1931), p. 22.
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 130.
Philip Hendy. European and American Paintings in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1974), pp. 10-11, ill.
Rollin van N. Hadley. Museums Discovered: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1981), p. 118-19, ill.
Alan Chong et al. (eds.) Eye of the Beholder: Masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 2003), pp. 122-23, ill.
Guy Cogeval et al. Debussy, La musique et les arts. Exh. cat. (Paris: Musée de l'Orangerie, 2012), p. 185.
MarksNotesInscribed (upper right, in graphite): St. Sébastien II Acte / Mme. Ida Rubinstein
Signed and dated (lower right, in graphite): BAKST 1911
Inscribed in graphite (verso): Verre et marge
Inscribed (label affixed to the glass, lower right): 63
Inscribed (label affixed to the glass, lower right): B.A.C. Inscribed (mount, reverse): Boston Art Club Exhibition. Owner: Mrs. John L. Gardner. Return to: Boston Art Club. Price: 260^00.
Inscribed (mount, reverse): N^o 132 13 / Madame Rubinstein / dans le "S^t Sébastien" II^ème acte / appart à Mme. Rubinstein. [the number "132" and the last line have been crossed out] Price given Boston Art Club $260^00 / Refer to Birnbaum Catalogue.
Watermark: Lalanne
Signed and dated (lower right, in graphite): BAKST 1911
Inscribed in graphite (verso): Verre et marge
Inscribed (label affixed to the glass, lower right): 63
Inscribed (label affixed to the glass, lower right): B.A.C. Inscribed (mount, reverse): Boston Art Club Exhibition. Owner: Mrs. John L. Gardner. Return to: Boston Art Club. Price: 260^00.
Inscribed (mount, reverse): N^o 132 13 / Madame Rubinstein / dans le "S^t Sébastien" II^ème acte / appart à Mme. Rubinstein. [the number "132" and the last line have been crossed out] Price given Boston Art Club $260^00 / Refer to Birnbaum Catalogue.
Watermark: Lalanne
ProvenanceNotesPurchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the Bakst exhibition at the Boston Art Club, Boston for $250 on 2 January 1914.
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