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Costume Design, (Untitled), No. 24
Costume Design, Lino, No. 19
Costume Design, (Untitled), No. 24
Dominica, une governeuse, No. 20
Costume Design, detail
Costume Design, detail
Costume Design, detail
Costume Design, detail of signature

Costume Design, Theater, Parisian, Felix de Gray, Antique Watercolors, c. 1920s (Sold)

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Félix de Gray (born 1889)
Four Costume Designs
French: c. 1920s
Gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper
All signed and numbered in pencil lower right
Variously titled and with notes likely in the artist’s hand
No. 4, Ealinor, 14.5 x 10.25 inches
No. 19 Lino, 12.25 x 9.5 inches
No. 20 Une Gouvernante Dominica, 13.75 x 10 inches
No. 24 [Untitled], 15 x 10 inches

A group of four original Félix de Gray  costume designs for male and female characters from a larger numbered set. They are presumably for a play, opera, or ballet and stylistically appear to be European, 18th century. All of the characters wear powder wigs and are elegantly dressed in high-style formal clothing decorated with embroidery and fancy accents such as lace, silver, and gold trim. Work No. 24 is also decorated with glitter. Three of the characters are named: Ealinor; Lino; and Dominica, a governess. Each work is signed and numbered in the lower right by the designer and inscribed with his detailed notes about the fabrics to be employed, especially colors.

Product description continues below.

Description

Félix de Gray was a French portrait painter, illustrator and designer of sets and costumes for the theater. He contributed color illustrations of fairy tales and children’s stories in an Art Deco style to the periodicals Illustrated London News, The Tatler and Sketch from at least 1924 to 1933 and also created 12 color illustrations for a 1927 edition of Heinrich Heine’s 19th-century novel Florentine Nights.

Ealinor, 4
Inscription lower left: Argent et bleu tourquoise pale acier-mauves-rose-verts. [Silver and pale turquoise blue, steel-mauves-pink-greens.]
14.5 x 10.25 inches, overall

Lino, 19
Inscription lower left: Porte l’épée. Manchettes et jabot en dentelle. [Carries a sword. Cuffs and jabot in lace.]
12.25 x 9.5 inches, overall

Dominica, 20
Inscriptions: Une gouvernante. Gris-bleus, vieil or-mauve. [A governess. Gray-blues, old gold-mauve.]
13.75  x 10 inches, overall

[Untitled], 24
Inscriptions: Seul le corsage avec roses brodées. Trois tons de mauve-[illegible] l’echantillon. Roses: rose-thé. Vert veronèse. Dentelles argent. rubans in paillettes d’argent. chaussures: rose-thé, talons: argent. [Only the bodice with embroidered roses. Three shades of mauve [illegible] sample. Roses: tea rose. Veronese green. Silver lace. ribbons in silver sequins. Shoes: tea rose, heels: silver.]
15 x 10 inches, overall

Reference:

Bénézit, E. Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs. France: Librairie Gründ, 1966. Vol. 4, p. 401

Additional information

Century

20th Century