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

Eugène Cicéri designed this stage set for the Opéra in Paris, using graphite and watercolor on paper. Notice the prominent display of shields, symbols of defense and honor, centrally positioned on the structure. These shields, evocative of heraldic traditions, are a motif that resurfaces throughout history, from ancient Greek battle armor to medieval knightly emblems. Consider the Lion Gate at Mycenae, where lions flank a central column, symbolizing power and protection, a motif echoed through time in countless iterations. The reappearance of these symbols speaks to a deep-seated human need for identifying with a group, mirroring society's cultural and psychological underpinnings, where collective memory plays a crucial role. This cultural memory imprints itself onto the symbolic lexicon of art, influencing both its creation and reception, forming an image's emotional power. The cyclical nature of these symbols reveals how certain images, carrying cultural memory, resurface and evolve, continually reimagined to fit new cultural landscapes.