Competition Design for La Fenice, Venice: Transverse Section
Medium
architecture
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-120
About this artwork
Drawing in shades of rose and gray of transverse section of a theater showing a large central section with a pitched roof flanked by bays with lower roof. View of five tiers of boxes topped by a shallow dome, the proscenium with curtain, and a large dark semicircular shape seen through the roofing timbers. The rose pink indicates structural supports.
Art Historical Context
Step into the grand world of 18th-century Venetian theater with this exquisite 1788 competition design by Italian architect D. Cerato Titled *Competition Design for La Fen, Venice: Transverse*, this architectural drawing captures a visionary cross-section of the proposed opera house, a cultural jewel that would rise from the ashes of a previous fire. Submitted for a prestigious design contest, Cerato's proposal reflects the era's neoclassical aspirations, blending functionality with theatrical splendor amid Venice's vibrant opera scene. Rendered in delicate shades of rose and gray, the drawin...