The Elysian Fields; set design from 'La Monarchia Latina Trionfante'
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 11 11/16 × 16 9/16 in. (29.7 × 42.1 cm)
Classification
Prints|Prints-Fete|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.3581
Tags
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 real...
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...