Stage Design, Imaginary City
early 19th century
Classification
theater
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-401
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Stage Design, Imaginary City** by Angelo Toselli (ca. 1765?–1826) invites visitors into the enchanting world of early 19-century theater. Created during a golden age of European opera and dramatic spectacle, this work exemplifies Toselli's talent as an Italian architect and designer. Though the exact medium remains unidentified amid ongoing research, it captures imaginative urban panorama likely intended for the stage, blending architectural fantasy with theatrical illusion to transport audiences to unrealized realms. In the early 1800s, stage designs like this one were pivotal innovations,...