Harvard Theatre Collection prints (visual works) of scenography

Contains etchings and engravings featuring depictions of scenography. Most of the scenography dates from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with some from the sixteenth and nineteen century, and feature theatrical scene designs often from opera and ballet productions at the royal courts mainly in Italy and Spain. Artists include Ferdinando Galli Bibiena (1657-1743) and Giuseppe Galli Bibiena (1696-1757), Abraham Bosse (1602-1676), Ludovico Ottavio Burnacini (1636-1707), Stefano Della Bella (1610-1664), Pietro Righini (1683-1742), Ferdinando Tacca (1619-1686), and Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709), among others. Some of the scenes are identified from known productions, such as “La Zenobia di Radamisto”, “La Nozzi Deglo Dei”, “Medo”, “L’Opera de Venus Jalouse,” and others, as well as from celebrations or events. A few prints of designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841) from his texts on theatrical production design, including "Sammlung von Theater-Dekoration" and individual scenes, are included as well. Some of the scenography prints are by unidentified artists and depicts unidentified scenes; these have been loosely described based on subject matter.