La belle édition, Paris, 1913
DRAFT Fine example of the first French edition, limited to 390 copies, and more uncommon than Beaumont's English edition. "The designs, although somewhat fantastic in treatment, do convey the impression produced by Nijinsky in his famous characters. The foreword [by Francis de Miomandre] is excellent" (Beaumont).
"In his brief time, Nijinsky was the most famous male dancer in the world, a preeminence due in part to his extraordinary virtuosity. But it was not his virtuosity alone that made him such a powerful stage presence. As contemporary reports make clear, Nijinsky was a great and unusual actor. The ideal Fokine interpreter, he was able to expand a simple choreographic design into a rich dramatic portrait, using, in keeping with Fokine's dicta, the whole body as an expressive instrument. Nijinsky's influence as a dancer was immediate and huge. That ballet, nearly extinguished artistically in western Europe, was revived in this century is due to him and other great dancers of his generation, such as Anna Pavlova and Karsavina, as well as to Diaghilev. That male ballet, utterly extinguished, was also revived is due to him preeminently. Nijinsky was the first real ballet star of the male sex that Europe had seen since the retirement of Auguste Vestris nearly a century earlier. He initiated a renaissance." (Cohen: The International Encyclopedia of Dance Vol. 4, pp. 646-648).
A fine copy with interesting provenance.
Quarto (33.4 x 28 cm), this copy No 335 out of 390, printed on papier vélin, title, 8pp., 1 plate with b&w vignette, 12 full-page coloured illustrations by Barbier printed on rectos only, printer's leaf at end. Original pictorial wrappers, a fine copy.
"In his brief time, Nijinsky was the most famous male dancer in the world, a preeminence due in part to his extraordinary virtuosity. But it was not his virtuosity alone that made him such a powerful stage presence. As contemporary reports make clear, Nijinsky was a great and unusual actor. The ideal Fokine interpreter, he was able to expand a simple choreographic design into a rich dramatic portrait, using, in keeping with Fokine's dicta, the whole body as an expressive instrument. Nijinsky's influence as a dancer was immediate and huge. That ballet, nearly extinguished artistically in western Europe, was revived in this century is due to him and other great dancers of his generation, such as Anna Pavlova and Karsavina, as well as to Diaghilev. That male ballet, utterly extinguished, was also revived is due to him preeminently. Nijinsky was the first real ballet star of the male sex that Europe had seen since the retirement of Auguste Vestris nearly a century earlier. He initiated a renaissance." (Cohen: The International Encyclopedia of Dance Vol. 4, pp. 646-648).
A fine copy with interesting provenance.
Quarto (33.4 x 28 cm), this copy No 335 out of 390, printed on papier vélin, title, 8pp., 1 plate with b&w vignette, 12 full-page coloured illustrations by Barbier printed on rectos only, printer's leaf at end. Original pictorial wrappers, a fine copy.
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