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

This is a design for a stage set created by French artist Eugène Cicéri between 1830-1890. The drawing, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts a landscape view with a foreground of water and a distant mountain range. Cicéri was a prolific designer of stage sets for the Opéra in Paris and many of his sketches are now held in museum collections. The gridded paper suggests a preliminary design for a theatrical backdrop. While the drawing appears simple, it was a vital part of the larger theatrical experience.