This illustrated book concerns Leon Bakst (!866-1924), a Russian artist and a founding member of the Mir iskusstva (World Art) association, a group organized in St Petersburg in the late 1890s by artists and art lovers, led by Alexander Benois and Sergei Diaghilev. It contains colour reproductions of his paintings, book illustrations and set designs for which he was most noted. His stage sets and costumes are known for their elements of fantasy, beauty and historical accuracy. He made a unique contribution to the promotion of Russian art in Western Europe as the leading designer for the Russian ballet.