Stage Designs

Writing late in life, Ferdinando Bibiena lamented that the architectural worlds he imagined often lost some of their magic as they proceeded from initial sketches—like those seen here—to finished sets: “No doubt the major difficulty that arises in the creation of theatrical scenes and other large scenes in perspective is that of the difference between the original ideal and the final execution. When a sketch or rough drawing is made, the first concept is greatly reduced. One then designs on paper according to the rules of perspective and architecture, but these constraints much diminish the idea. And when the scene is constructed, even more of the spirit that was in the original concept is lost.”