Two Actors Peeking through a Theater Curtain while Others Prepare the Footlights
1701 to 1725
Medium
pen and gray ink with gray wash on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 25.9 x 36.9 cm (10 3/16 x 14 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
2004.157.1
Art Historical Context
In the early 18th century, Esaias Nilson captured lively backstage moment in *Two Actors Peeking through Theater Curtain while Others Prepare Footlights* (ca. 1701–1725). This charming drawing the anticipation of performance: two mischievous actors peer curiously through the curtain, while stagehands bustle to light the footlights—those innovative oil lamps positioned at the front of the to illuminate actors from below. Created during the Baroque-to-Rococo transition Europe, the scene reflects the vibrant theater culture of the time, where such spectacles were central to urban entertainment in...
About the Artist
Johann Esaias Nilson · 1721–1788
Comment on works: miniature