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

This pencil drawing by Eugène Cicéri is a design for a stage set at the Opéra in Paris. The work depicts a view from a balcony looking out over a landscape with classical columns and a distant cityscape. Cicéri was a renowned stage designer whose work helped to shape the visual language of theater in the 19th century. The sketch's loose, gestural lines suggest the dynamic and ephemeral nature of theatrical production, and the detailed depiction of the architectural elements hint at the elaborate sets that would have been created for operatic performances at the Paris Opéra.