BARBIER, George, illustrator. [Maurice ROSTAND]. ~ Casanova. Panorama Dramatique... décors et costumes par George Barbier. Paris: Lucien Vogel, 1921.
4to (245 × 190 mm), pp. [4], iv, [2]. 24 pochoir coloured plates, some with gold and silver. Loose as issued in original decorative portfolio. Slightly soiled, wants ties, but still a very good copy.
First edition. Barbier designed the sets and costumes for the Bouffes-Parisiens production of Maurice Rostand’s Casanova in February 1919. The 24 fine costume plates here are coloured by Jacomet et compagnie.
The commission for Casanova was an important moment in Barbier’s artistic career, leading to commissions with theatres, the Ballet Russes and the Folies Bergère. Other successes followed, and for a time he was the most sought-after costume designer in Paris, recognized as the theatrical artist ‘who better than any other had captured the mood of the age’ (Gordon Ray).