Design for a Stage Setting
Artist
Unknown Italian artist
Datelate-18th century
MediumWatercolor and ink on paper
DimensionsSheet: 12 3/4 × 21 in. (32.4 × 53.3 cm)
Matt (Window): 13 × 21 1/4 in. (33 × 54 cm)
Frame: 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
Matt (Window): 13 × 21 1/4 in. (33 × 54 cm)
Frame: 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineAccessioned 1953
Object numberSN666
Watercolor has traditionally been the preferred medium for sketches relating to stage design. In this crisp, highly finished sheet, the architectural background is rendered with exceptional precision in pen, but it is the extraordinary play of light across its surfaces—made possible through subtle gradations of grey wash—that brings the setting to life. The figures in the foreground add color and whimsy, while also underscoring the immense scale of the architectural setting.
On View
Not on view
Giuseppe Spampani
19th century
