Louis Icart Scheherazade

“Scheherazade” by Louis Icart is a hand-colored etching from the 1920s–1930s depicting a semi-nude female figure seated on a richly colored carpet under a deep blue night sky. She is adorned with elaborate jewelry and a dramatic feathered headdress, posed in a graceful, storytelling gesture. The background reveals a stylized cityscape with domes and a crescent moon, while a fountain rises nearby—elements that reinforce the exotic, dreamlike atmosphere. Icart’s delicate linework combined with bold areas of color—especially the intense blue and red—creates a theatrical and sensual composition inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.

Louis Icart was known for blending Art Deco elegance with imaginative, often exotic themes. His work frequently reflects early 20th-century European fascination with Orientalism, portraying women as both decorative and narrative figures. While many of his prints suffer from misattribution in the market, this composition is a recognized and correctly titled example of his more elaborate, fantasy-driven imagery, showcasing both his technical finesse and flair for theatrical storytelling.