A handwritten autographed letter from Sergei Diaghilev

A letter from Sergei Diaghilev from Monte Carlo, presumably written in 1923 to Serge Lifar. The letter is written in black ink on the letterhead of the Du Comptoir National d'Escompte de Paris, Agence de Monte Carlo. In the upper right corner of the form is Serge Lifar's personal postmark.

The text of the letter: "I'm sending you a check. I'll write to you today or tomorrow. I received 4 of your emails at once today. Thank you and shake hands with your SD [S. Diaghilev]".

Sergei Diaghilev is a Russian theatrical and artistic figure, philanthropist. Russian Russian Ballet is one of the founders and main ideologists of the Mir Iskusstvo society and the magazine of the same name, the organizer of the Russian Seasons in Paris and the Diaghilev Russian Ballet troupe. He played one of the decisive roles in popularizing Russian art in Europe and the world at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and "discovered" many talented ballet dancers, composers and artists.

The founder of the Russian Seasons did not like it when the members of the troupe, and even more so the favorites, did not listen to his opinion. At best, he could say nasty things about the offender or kick the dancer out of the rehearsal, but there were situations when Sergei Pavlovich even took revenge. This happened to Serge Lifar, who, contrary to Diaghilev's will, agreed to leave his signature on an advertisement for a canned milk company. The entrepreneur was not against his artists earning money on the side, however, Lifar was offered a very modest amount — only 50 pounds. The founder of Russian Seasons believed that it was impossible to sell his services so cheaply. "I also understand that if you were offered 100 pounds, well, 75 at the very least, and for 50 pounds — for nothing, you need to value your name more!"  Diaghilev was tuning up the dancer. Serge did it his own way, for which Sergei Pavlovich got even with him. He persuaded the conductor, and during the performance of the premiere in the ballet Pastoral, he deliberately slowed down the tempo of the music. "I was forced to do thirty-two entrechat-six and "burned" my legs. In great nervous excitement, I go backstage with my partner, grab her by the throat and start strangling her — the artists barely separated us and held me back — I rush into the orchestra to beat the conductor, who, without warning me, followed Diaghilev's orders," Lifar recalled. But after that, Sergei Pavlovich thawed out, sent flowers to the guilty dancer, offered to make peace and forget old grudges.