Design for a Stage Set
1830–90
Medium
Watercolor over graphite
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Henry T. Curtis, 1953
Accession Number
53.668.269
Tags
Art Historical Context
Eugène Cicéri (181–1890), a French scenic designer of the Romantic era, created this *Design for a Stage Set sometime between 1830 and 1890. As the son of renowned decorator Pierre-Luc Cicéri, he specialized in opulent backdrops for Paris Opéra productions, blending architecture, nature, and fantasy to immerse audiences in dramatic worlds. This preparatory drawing captures the theatrical magic of 19th-century France, when grand spectacles in opera and ballet demanded innovative stagecraft to evoke emotion and grandeur. Rendered in watercolor over graphite, the work showcases Cicéri's masterfu...
About the Artist
Eugène Cicéri · 1813–1890
Étienne Eugène Cicéri (1813-1890) was a French painter, lithographer, and theatrical designer who became a notable figure in the Barbizon School movement. Born in Paris on January 27, 1813, into an illustrious artistic family, he was the son of renowned scenographer Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri and the nephew of painter Eugène Isabey. Cicéri occupies an important position in 19th-century French land...