Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris 1840 - 1890

Curator: This pencil drawing, attributed to Eugène Cicéri, is a stage set design for the Opéra in Paris, created sometime between 1840 and 1890. It's currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: My first impression is one of ethereal weightiness. It feels light in execution, a simple sketch, but the implied architecture possesses a real mass, an almost haunting presence. Curator: It’s fascinating to see this behind-the-scenes look at theatrical design. Cicéri was a prominent stage designer, his work helping to shape the visual experience of 19th-century opera. It's also worth thinking about how opera reflected—and influenced—the social norms and cultural expectations of the time. Editor: Absolutely. The sketch itself carries certain iconography—windows acting as symbolic portals, architectural motifs speaking to grandeur and power. Windows, in particular, often symbolize both confinement and opportunity, and that tension plays out strongly here. Curator: It is interesting to consider how stage designs were often grandiose, reflecting the aspirations of the bourgeoisie and nobility. Sets aimed to transport the audience to another world, reinforcing societal hierarchies and dominant ideologies, yet also offering an escape. Editor: Do you think Cicéri intentionally imbued this design with these layered meanings, or were they simply artifacts of his cultural context? Regardless, this liminal stage space—neither fully real nor fully imagined—becomes a potent symbol of desire and spectacle. Curator: Perhaps it was a combination of both, I suspect. Artists and designers of that era were keenly aware of their social roles, but they also innovated within existing parameters. The Opéra itself was a vital institution in Parisian life; stagecraft like this influenced much broader artistic trends. Editor: Looking at this now, I feel like I can almost hear the music, sense the drama, see the gaslights flicker… It all echoes in this quick sketch. Curator: Indeed. This little fragment from the Met lets us see the foundations upon which an empire of illusion was built. Editor: A potent reminder of the lasting power of ephemeral art forms.