Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris 1830 - 1890

Eugène Cicéri made this watercolor design for a stage set at the Opéra in Paris sometime in the mid-19th century. It depicts the proscenium arch of a theater, draped with a heavy curtain. In nineteenth-century Paris, the Opéra was not simply a place of entertainment, but a cultural institution invested with the authority of the state. This design demonstrates the grandeur and imposing scale of the opera house. The architectural and decorative details suggest the importance of the events that would unfold on stage. The theater was a place where class and social status were not only performed on stage, but also flaunted and enacted in the audience. The opera embodied the cultural values of its time. To fully understand this design, we can look to historical records about the Opéra, examining playbills and newspaper reviews, as well as architectural plans and administrative documents. These resources help us understand the social and institutional context of the art.