Vaslav Nijinsky in Scheherazade (1913): Art, History and Details

Vaslav Nijinsky in Scheherazade (1913) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Auguste Bert (French, 1856–before 1945).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Vaslav Nijinsky (1890–1950) is considered to have been the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century. Scheherazade is the story of the favorite wife of a shah who has a dalliance with her favorite slave, the role played by Nijinsky. Auguste Bert was the official photographer of the presidency of the French Republic, the country’s ministries, embassies, and its government-subsidized theaters.

Object facts

• Title: Vaslav Nijinsky in Scheherazade
• Date: 1913
• Creator attribution: Auguste Bert (French, 1856–before 1945)
• Culture: France, 20th century
• Type: Photograph
• Technique: Halftone photogravure
• Dimensions: Image: 19.3 x 13.5 cm (7 5/8 x 5 5/16 in.); Paper: 20.5 x 14.4 cm (8 1/16 x 5 11/16 in.)
• Collection: PH - French 20th Century
• Department: Photography
• Accession number: 2019.43

A detail from the museum

Nijinsky wore gold body paint and a brightly colored, bejeweled, and embroidered outfit in his role as the Favorite Slave in Scheherazade.

Collection credit

Sundry Art - Photography Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.