Workshop of Bibiena family

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Workshop of Bibiena family
Stage Design: Palace Interior with Stairs to the Right
ca. 1700
Pen and brown ink and gray wash on paper.
5 3/16 x 4 inches (131 x 102 mm)
Gift of Jules Fisher.
2021.41
Notes: 

In his "Direzioni della prospettiva teorica" of 1732, Ferdinando Bibiena lamented that the architectural worlds he imagined often lost some of their magic as they proceeded from initial sketches--see also 2021.40--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."

Provenance: 
Jules Fisher.
Associated names: 

Fisher, Jules, former owner.

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