The Elysian Fields; set design from 'La Monarchia Latina Trionfante'

Art Historical Context

Step into the grandeur of 17th-century Baroque theater with *The Elysian Fields a captivating etching by stage designer Ludovico Ottiano Burnacini andaver Mathäus Küsel created in 1678. This set design for the opera *La Monarchia Latinaionfante* (*The Triumphant Latin Monarchy*) a paradisiacal realm inspired by the mythical Elysian Fields, by angels, musicians, and figures amid ornate architecture and musical instruments. Measuring nearly 12 by 17 inches, the trimmed sheet captures the opulent spectacle of Viennese court productions, where elaborate scenery transported audiences to divine realms. Burnacini, a leading Italian designer at the Habsburg court, pioneered immersive Baroque stagecraft, blending architecture, ornament, and illusion to glorify imperial power. Küsel's precise etching technique—using acid to incise intricate details into a copper plate—brought these ephemeral designs to enduring print form, allowing wider appreciation beyond the theater. Classified among prints of fêtes and architectural ornament, it exemplifies how such works celebrated festivals and opera, fusing classical mythology with Christian iconography. Today, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), this piece highlights the cultural splendor of absolutist Europe, where artifice and music created heavenly triumphs for elite audiences. A window into forgotten performances, it reminds us of theater's power to conjure eternity.

About the Artist

Mathäus Küsel|Ludovico Ottaviano Burnacini · 1629–1681

Matthäus Küsel (1629–1681) was a distinguished German copper engraver who achieved prominence as court engraver to the Holy Roman Emperor, earning the prestigious title of imperial court engraver (Hofkupferstecher). Born into the renowned Augsburg engraving and goldsmith family Küsel, Matthäus represented the height of German reproductive engraving in the Baroque period. His extensive oeuvre encom...