NATALIA GONCHAROVA (1881-1962) Costume design of Magi for the Léonide Massine’s ballet ‘Liturgy’

signed ‘N. Gontcharova’ (lower right); inscribed in pen: ‘I certify Boris Kniaseff that I bought from my long-time collaborator and dear friend Nathalie Goncharova in Paris in 1942 this watercolour with the theme of the ballet by Diaghileff/ Boris Kniaseff’ (on the reverse) stencil 62.2 x 43 cm circa 1926 PROVENANCE: Boris Kniaseff (1900 -1975), Russian-born French dancer, ballet master and teacher ‘Liturgy’ is an unrealized ballet by Leonid Massine (1896 -1979) to sacred music, a project for Diaghilev’s ‘Ballets Russes’, known mainly for Natalia Goncharova’s avant-garde costume designs, created in 1915 and printed in a limited edition around 1926. Goncharova’s ‘Liturgy’ series is considered the best of her designs for Diaghilev’s ballets, based on Russian traditions and folklore. Goncharova worked on ‘Liturgy’ on commission from Sergei Diaghilev in 1915-1917. She made numerous pencil sketches, which she then translated into coloured compositions using gouache and silver and gold leaf collage techniques. As an artist, Goncharova was inspired by the pictorial sources of ancient Russia - frescoes, mosaics and icons. The action of the show was transposed to a temple with a traditional iconostasis. When it became clear that the ballet would not be performed, Goncharova decided to stencil the costume sketches, slightly modifying and adapting some of them. In a letter dated 1926, Mikhail Larionov wrote: ‘...an album of this kind by Goncharova will soon appear, to be called ‘Liturgy’. The album will contain 17 or 19 drawings in colour, signed by the author. Only 50 copies of the album will be printed. The reproductions of the drawings will be made by hand, to the size of the originals, in watercolour and gouache. Everything will be done by hand, like the original...’ One of the drawings depicting the figure of Magi was published on the cover of the catalogue of Larionov and Goncharova’s American exhibition in 1922. Reference: Liturgie. 1915 — Lausanne. 16. Maquettes. Reproduites au pochoir d’après les Aquarelles originales et signées par l’Auteur. Paris. La Cible.