ALEXANDRE BENOIS (1870-1960) A set of three costume designs for Ladies on a Hunt [Dame à la Chasse] for L'Impératrice aux Rochers. Un miracle de Notre-Dame (1927)

(i) signed ‘Alexandre Benois’ (lower left), inscribed and dated ‘Dame à la C… / 1927’ (upper right), (ii) signed and dated in pencil 'ABenois 1927' (lower right), signed again 'AB' (lower left), inscribed in pencil, (iii) signed and dated in pencil 'Alexandre Benois 1927' (lower left), inscribed in pencil ‘Une femme - servante à l'Infante’ watercolour and pencil on paper (i) 32 x 17.4 cm, (ii) 31.5 x 14.8 cm, (iii) 32 x 17.7 cm executed in 1927 The premiere of Honegger’s L'Impératrice aux Rochers, originally scheduled for December 1925, was delayed until 17 February 1927 due to the immense scale of the production, which resembled a fashion show designed to highlight Ida Rubinstein. Rubinstein not only starred in the performance but also invested over a million francs, funded by her lover Bryan Walter Guinness, to create the extravagant spectacle. She enlisted designer Alexandre Benois after Alexandre Golovine was unavailable. Despite the lavish sets, costumes, and extensive resources, the drama proved far too long. The performance lasted five hours, with frequent set changes that only prolonged it further. Opera subscribers, who entered the theatre at 7:45 pm, did not leave until 4 am.