Ballett Scheherazade. V. Nijinsky

A male dancer in a gold turban and voluminous striped harem trousers stands at center, one arm raised overhead in a dance gesture, his bare torso crossed by a beaded and mirrored halter. Around him, seated and standing female attendants in patterned Persian dress hold a tray, a lute and a small bird; peacocks and songbirds fill the corners, a hookah pipe rests at the center, and Arabic calligraphy tops a pointed, floral-bordered gilded arch.

Flat, saturated color areas in ochre, turquoise-grey and gold, with crisp outlines and dense pattern, recall Persian miniature painting more than naturalistic depth. Modeling is minimal and ornament dominates, producing a vivid, richly decorative, theatrical mood suited to its Orientalist ballet subject.