A courtyard scena per angolo could suggest an expansive palace without depicting the entire structure. As seen here, the repetition of a few groups of columns prompts the viewer to imagine dozens more, just out of view. Even in the relatively small scale of a drawing, the immersive monumentality is palpable. The drawing is unusual in that it shows alternate schemes, one with and one without a proscenium arch framing the view.
Follower of Ferdinando Galli Bibiena (1657–1743)
Stage Set: Palace Courtyard with Columns and Statues, 1720
Pen and brown ink and gray wash, over graphite
Promised gift of Jules Fisher