Project for Decoration (Stage Setting) 1500 - 1600

This stage set design was drawn by an anonymous artist in pen and brown ink with gray wash, and red chalk. Although anonymous, the architectural elements suggest that this drawing was probably produced in Italy. During the early modern period, Italy was famous for its elaborate theatrical productions. Sets were often designed by leading architects and painters and were complex engineering feats, employing the latest advances in building technology. By this period, theater had become a sophisticated and complex public event, often connected to displays of political power. The more elaborate the theater design, the greater the prestige for the ruling family. Analyzing set designs like this one, along with other historical sources such as theater programs, playbills, and audience accounts can tell us a great deal about the social role of art. The meaning of art always depends on the social conditions and institutions of its making.