Elevation of Boxes and Royal Box as Presently Constituted and According to New Design
ca. 1750
Medium
Pen, gray ink and wash over pencil with color for garlands above royal box
Dimensions
16-1/8 x 24-3/8 in. (41.0 x 61.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Bequest of Joseph H. Durkee, by exchange, 1972
Accession Number
1972.713.58
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Galli Bibiena *Elevation of Boxes and Royal as Presently Constituted and to New Design* (. 1750) offers a fascinating glimpse into the opulent world of 18th-century theater architecture. This intricate drawing presents side-by-side elevations of theater boxes—contrasting the existing layout with a proposed redesign, highlighted by colorful garlands adorning the royal box. during the Baroque era's twilight, when grand opera houses symbolized royal splendor, it reflects Bibiena's expertise in scenography, a family legacy spanning generations of Italian architect-designers renowned for t...
About the Artist
Giuseppe Galli Bibiena
Giuseppe Galli Bibiena was born on January 5, 1696, in Parma, into what would become the most celebrated dynasty of theatrical designers in Baroque Europe. He was the second son of Ferdinando Galli Bibiena, who was himself a transformative figure in stage design and the originator of the family's defining innovation: the scena per angolo, or "scene viewed at an angle." This technique replaced the ...