Balthasar by Erté

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 | Russian-French Balthasar Signed “Erté” (lower right) Inscribed "Les Rois des Légendes / No. 15 / Costume pour Balthasar / 1919" (en verso) Gouache on paper Erté designed this costume for a 1919 production of Les Rois des Légendes, a performance that showcased a variety of legendary kings from throughout history. One of the three Magi, Balthasar is said to have brought the gift of myrrh on his fateful trip to Bethlehem. Erté has carefully rendered the incense in each of the king’s hands, while his long braided beard nearly skims the floor. Customarily depicted as an African man in retellings of the tale of the Three Kings, Balthasar is costumed in patterns that appear to draw both on Orientalist depictions of North Africa and Erté’s own Art Deco geometries. Paris witnessed a remarkable cultural synthesis during the Art Deco period, and Orientalism played a significant role in shaping the city's artistic and intellectual milieu. At the same 1925 P