A woman standing on the right side of a road lined with columns; at center a statue of a female with cupid flying nearby; to the left, a woman emerging from the clouds as another sits among flames above; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno'

A woman standing on the right side of a road lined with columns; at center a statue of a female with cupid flying nearby; to the left, a woman emerging from the clouds as another sits among flames above; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno' by Ludovico Ottaviano Burnacini|Mathäus Küsel

Medium

Etching

Dimensions

Sheet (Trimmed): 12 1/16 × 16 9/16 in. (30.7 × 42.1 cm)

Classification

Prints|Prints-Fete|Ornament & Architecture

Department

Drawings and Prints

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953

Accession Number

53.600.3565

Tags

ColumnsWomenCupid

Art Historical Context

Step into the dramatic world of 17th-century Baroque theater with this enchanting etching, *A woman standing on the right side of a road lined with columns; at center a statue of a female with cupid flying nearby; to the left, a woman emerging from the clouds as another sits among flames above; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno'*. Created in 1674, it captures a fantastical stage set alive with mythological figures: a poised woman amid grand columns, a central statue flanked by the playful Cupid, ethereal women in clouds and flames evoking eternal fire and divine passion. The composition blends ...

About the Artist

Ludovico Ottaviano Burnacini|Mathäus Küsel · 16361707

Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini (1636–1707), born into an artistic family in northern Italy—likely Venice—was the son of the renowned theater architect Giovanni Burnacini from Cesena and his wife Grazia. From a young age, he studied under his father, mastering theater architecture, intricate stage machinery, and set design amid Venice's vibrant carnival culture and Commedia dell'arte performances. The ...

    Send Feedback