Design for a Stage Set of a Crypt (for the Opera 'La Morosina' ?) 1833 - 1907

Carlo Ferrario made this stage set design for a crypt using pen and gray ink with gray wash in the late nineteenth century. It gives a sense of the cultural milieu surrounding opera, and what was considered appropriate as a setting for dramatic vocal performance. In Italy at this time, the opera was an important part of public culture. The architecture of the crypt here is rendered with great attention to historical accuracy, but it's also clearly designed to be impressive and imposing, in line with the Gothic Revival style which had become popular in the late 18th century. It suggests a setting of mystery and intrigue. Note the solid pillars, low arches, and imposing staircase. The set evokes a feeling of deep history. Stage design like this depended on historical research, of course. As art historians, we need to understand not only what these images represent, but also how they were made and what purposes they served. Designs such as this are valuable historical documents in themselves, because they allow us to understand how the Victorians saw themselves in relation to the past.