Design for a Stage Sets: Anteroom with Stairs Leading to a Gallery Composed of a Series of Connected Barrel Vaults 1698 - 1765

Giovanni Battista Natali III created this stage set design with pen and brown ink, and gray wash in the 18th century. Natali was born into a family of artists, and he specialized in quadratura: illusionistic paintings of architecture. The theatricality of the stage set provides a space to explore identity. In the 1700s, theatre was a place where social norms could be reinforced or challenged. Stage design played a crucial role in creating an immersive experience for audiences. The architecture creates a space for the human drama to unfold. Here, we see a grand anteroom, with stairs leading to a gallery of barrel vaults. It suggests both the literal and metaphorical ascent to the stage. The emotional experience of theater is deeply personal. How might the characters navigate this stage? This drawing reflects the emotional and social complexities of the human experience. It suggests that the stage, like life, is a place of constant change, where identities are constructed, performed, and negotiated.