Stage design for 'The Legend of the invisible city of Kitezh'

Details

Nikolai Benois (1901-1988)
Stage design for 'The Legend of the invisible city of Kitezh'
inscribed in Russian, signed in Cyrillic and dated 'Teatro alla Scala/1935/Nikolai/Benya/Legend of the city of Kitezh' (on the reverse)
ink, gouache and tempera on paper
19¼ x 25¼ in. (49 x 63.5 cm.)

Provenance

Acquired by the present owner in New York circa 1985.

Special Notice

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Lot Essay

Nikolai Benois became the principal scenographer at the Teatro alla Scala in 1935 and worked on hundreds of productions at the famous Milan theatre until 1970.
The present work, executed during Benois's inaugural year at la Scala, is a set design for Rimsky-Korsakov's opera, The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh, based on ancient Russian legends, with an admixture of supernatural elements. This exquisite design, exploding with colour and movement is most likely a depiction of the opening of the second act, where the inhabitants of Little Kitezh are gathering to celebrate the wedding of the maiden Fevronia, the protagonist of the opera.

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