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

Eugène Cicéri made this stage set design for the Paris Opéra using graphite on paper. It evokes the aesthetic values of 19th-century French opera, but also highlights the social functions of this institution. The image reveals the naturalistic stagecraft popular at the time, as the design provides a glimpse into the illusionistic world created for the opera-goers. During this period, the Paris Opéra was not just a place for artistic expression but also a crucial site for social networking and display. The cultural elite attended performances to see and be seen. Cicéri’s design reflects the opera’s role as a backdrop for social rituals as well as the increasing professionalization of stage design. Further research into the archives of the Opéra and the social history of its audiences would help us understand the full significance of the drawing. Art, like this design, should be understood as contingent on the social and institutional contexts that shaped its creation and reception.