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

This watercolor sketch by Eugène Cicéri, a prominent French set designer of the 19th century, is a design for a stage set at the Opéra in Paris. It depicts an architectural fragment with a stone archway, likely for a production of a historical opera. Cicéri’s loose and gestural strokes suggest a swift sketch for a grander and more elaborate production, which is typical of this style of artwork created for theater productions. The work currently resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.