Beschreibung:

'ERTÉ'. A costume design for the actor Paul Bernard in the character of Joffroy Rudel in La Princesse Lointaine , 1929, in gouache heightened with gold and silver, signed 'Erté', the verso further inscribed 'N o. 1613 , La Princesse Lointaine. , Joffroy Rudel. , IX-1929' and with studio inkstamps, 275 x 375mm, framed and glazed. Provenance : Grosvenor Gallery, London (label on backboard of frame). ONE OF ERTé'S MOST CELEBRATED STAGE DESIGNS: 'The press was full of praise for the sets and costumes of La Princesse Lointaine . The design for the galley [...] was hailed as a masterpiece; the palace of Mélissande was said to evoke a profound and picturesque atmosphere, that of a past filled with dreams; and the final scene, the arrival of the Princess's ship, was described as enchanting' (Erté Things I Remember (London: 1975), p.98). Edmond Rostand's La Princesse Lointaine was first produced in 1895, and was later revised by Rostand; the author wished Sarah Bernhardt to take the role of Joffroy Rudel, but following the amputation of the actress's leg, Rostand re-wrote the play, so that Bernhardt's character could remain upon a couch throughout the production. However, casting and financial problems -- together with the outbreak of the Great War -- meant that the revised version was not performed until this production at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in 1929. This design is for the role of the troubadour-hero Joffroy Rudel who falls in love with the eponymous princess, and was acted in the 1929 production by Paul Bernard