Les Rois des Lègendes, Costume pour femme ésclave, 1919

"Les Rois des Lègendes, Costume pour femme ésclave" is a gouache painting on black paper created by Erté in 1919. The artwork is signed 'Erté' center right and annotated in fountain pen on verso 'Les Rois des Lègendes, Costume pour femme ésclave, V - 1919, No. 15' with an 'Erté 124 Rue de Brancas' stamp. The artwork ships framed in a custom closed-corner Art Deco frame and has a framed size of 24 x 20".

Created in 1919, “Les Rois des Légendes, Costume pour femme esclave” is a significant early stage design by Erté that captures his fascination with fantasy, ornament, and theatrical spectacle. This is a costume Erté designed for a theater production ‘Les Rois des Lègendes’ (The Legendary Kings) in 1919. This beautiful design later inspired a serigraph “Balinese” and a bronze sculpture “Arabian Nights.”

Executed in luminous gouache, the composition depicts a woman in opulent harem attire rendered in rich reds and golds. Flowing draperies, a fitted bodice, and voluminous trousers gathered at the ankle create a silhouette that is both elegant and sensual. Delicate arabesques and stylized motifs decorate the fabric, while ornate sandals spiral upward around her calves. In her hand, she holds a fan shaped like a water lily leaf, its long handle extending her gesture in a graceful arc. Against a stark ground, the figure appears to float, embodying an imagined world of jeweled palaces and theatrical enchantment.

The design was created for the celebrated performer Gaby Deslys and staged at the Théâtre Femina in Monte Carlo. The production retold the story of Scheherazade from ‘The Thousand and One Nights,’ a narrative that offered fertile ground for themes of seduction, storytelling, and spectacle. Erté’s costume for the dancing slave girl reflects the era’s fascination with Eastern inspired fantasy, presenting the harem as a realm of mystery, luxury, and allure.

Erté’s theatrical designs were more than costumes. They were complete artistic statements that fused historical reference with modern stylization. Influences from Persian miniatures, Mughal ornament, and Egyptian jewelry are filtered through his precise Art Deco sensibility. His collaboration with Deslys helped establish his reputation as a leading costume designer and introduced his aesthetic to an international audience.

Original gouaches from this early period are rare, particularly those connected to documented productions. This work exemplifies Erté’s ability to transform performance into visual poetry. With its jewel-like color, refined line, and evocative subject, it stands as both a historical artifact and an autonomous work of art, embodying the glamour and imagination that defined the golden age of the stage.