Design for a Stage Set (recto); Architectural Design (verso) 1780 - 1804

This is a pen and wash drawing by Francesco Navone, a noted Italian architect and designer, who was active in the late 18th century. The drawing depicts an architectural design with a ruined or classical structure. It is unclear if this work is a design for a stage set, as its title suggests, or an architectural study. Its composition of shadow and light, and its emphasis on natural elements and classical architecture, is typical of the Neoclassical style of the era. This artwork, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is an intriguing example of Navone's work.