THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCENIC SPECTACLE

ff. 5-6 plan of stage for Florimène

ff. 7-8 section of stage for Florimène

ff. 9-10 plan of stage at Somerset House

ff. 11-12 plan and section of flat wing stage

ff. 31-32 ground plan of stage for Salmacida Spolia

ff. 33-34 section of stage for Salmacida Spolia

Arundel Codex 263

f. 224r turntable stage by Leonardo da Vinci

f. 231v turntable stage by Leonardo da Vinci

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Sir John Soane's Museum, London. General

Two machinery drawings published in Bernardo Buontalenti by Amelio Fara.

Vol.132, c. 104 Buontalenti cloud machine [fig. 143]

Vol.132, c. 105 Buontalenti cloud machine [fig. 144]

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Biblioteca Oliveriani, Pesaro. General

Oliveriani MS 312

#46 Flying background machine

#47 Flying cloud machine

#48 Flying chariot machine

#49 Flying performer and shell chariot machines

#50 Horizontal movement machine

inside back cover - various sketches

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Biblioteca Comunale Federiciana, Fano General

Amiana 19, 139 ff

Wing change machinery

Border change machinery

both are published in Il Palazzo del Teatro:

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Casa Buonarroti, Florence. General

Archivio Buonarroti

vol. 59, f. 195r - drawing of stage for Il Giudizio di Paride

vol. 60, part II, ff. 70v-71r - drawing of stage for Il Giudizio di Paride

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Ufizzi Gallery, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, Florence

853.A periactoi drawing by Antonio San Gallo il Giovane

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Biblioteca Palatina, Parma. General

MS 3708. The folios are not numbered; my numbers refer to the order in which they are bound

1 sea monster and sea chariot machinery

2 view of stage house

3 flying stairway machinery - raised position

4 cloud display machinery

5 flying performer machinery

6 flying stage floor machinery

7 scene with effect of the flying chair - machinery shown in #5

8 trap and curtain machinery

12 scene with cloud

13 scene with clouds and eagle - machinery shown in #37

14 scene with effect of stairs shown in #3 & #28

15 scene with Mercury flying - machinery shown in #5

16 scene with clouds

17 scene with flying performers - machinery shown in #5

23 scene with fountain rising from trap - machinery shown in #30

25 monument - machinery shown in #30

27 floor plan of theatre

28 flying stairway machinery - lowered position

29 cloud display - machinery shown in #4

30 expanding machine - related to #23, 25, & 39

31 crane machinery -

32 border changing machinery

34 flying chair and tracks machinery - related to #16?

35 wave machines

36 scene with flying performer - machinery shown in #5

37 cloud display machinery & flying eagle - related to #13

38 sea scene - machinery shown in #1 & #35

39 Fountain - machinery shown in #30

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Archivio di Stato, Parma General

Mappe e Disegni, Vol. 4

#3 expanding machine

#4 cloud frame with winch and graduated shaft

#5 umbrella machine closed

#6 umbrella machine open

#7 Venus machine winches

#8 flying frame in raised and lowered positions

#9 flying frames for 54 performers

#10 display

#11 display of the machine in #9 in lowered position

#12 display for machine in #9 in raised position

#13 "anconini" machine

#14 "anconini" machine as star

#15 flying stairs

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Bibliothéque de l'Opera, Paris. General

Res 853

#2 small cloud display for machine B

#3 cloud machine A folded and flown

#4 display of machine in drawings #3 & #5

#5 cloud machine A in position

#12 medium cloud display for machine B

#13 cloud machine B folded and flown

#14 display of machine in drawings #13 & #15

#!5 cloud machine B in position

#16 display of machine in drawing #17(?)

#25 small cloud for machines in drawings #25 & #27

#26 cloud machine C in upstage raised position

#27 final display of machine in drawings #25 & #27

#28 cloud machine C in downstage lowered position

#29 lighting box

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Archives nationals, Paris General

vol. 01.3238

1-090 articulated hell mouth with winch

1-091 similar to 1-091

1-092 (?) chariot with winch and stagehand

1-093 double cloud frame

1-099 chariot and framework

vol. 01.3839

1-091 snail transforms into man

1-217 flying framework

vol. 01.3840

1-248 wing changing machine

1-249 fire demons

vol. 01.3241

2-069 three cloud machines

2-108 performer operated monster on chariot

2-149 fountains

2-206 figure standing on hellmouth display

2-239 cloud machine sketches

2-248 fountain machine

2-352 articulated monster on floor

2-383 plan with tracks

2-419 Apollo chariot and frame

2-440 suspended cloud frame & shaft

2-441 telescoping urn & bush

2-243 fan cloud

2-248 view & section of upper inner stage

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Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. General

Note: There is much more material in the Nationalmuseun than listed here

Tessin-Harleman Collection [loose drawings]

THC 8515 Salle de Machines plan

THC 8516 Salle de Machines section

THC 8525 Wave machine

THC 8522 wing ladder

THC 8532 wing change machinery Berlin Operahouse

Tessin-Harleman Collection volume S7

#9 Cloud pillar

#21 Sea chariot

#182 Wing change machine

#187 Sea machine

#189 Hell mouth framework

#192 Double cloud framework

#193 Suspended cloud

#195 Three types of clouds

#201 Device to hold performers on cloud

#202 Rearing monster on floor

#203 Two monsters: flying & on trolley

#204 Apollo chariot and frame

#205 Performer controlled flying machine

#206 Fan cloud machine

#208 Sea chariot plan & section

#209 Cloud with eagle machine

#210 Apollo chariot

#212 Man riding snail

#214 Man as fountain monster

#214 Man emerging from snail with frame

#216 Hell mouth with stairs

#217 Fire demons

#218 Articulated monster mouth

#219 Monster mouth

#221 Unknown machine

#222 Section of trap

#223 Expanding frames

#224 Shell chariot

#237 Table over cloud frame(?)

#238 Cloud machine sketches

#240 Fountains

#241 Hell mouth

#243 Sea nymphs

#247 Shell chariot details

#249 Plan with tracks

#261 Section of upper inner stage

#268 Plan & elevation of upper inner stage

#280 Cloud frame

#281 Fan cloud

#282 Fan cloud

Tessin-Harleman Collection volume K1

#32 Costume - 2 men make a camel

#36 Costume - Dog-headed creature riding a dwarf

#37 Costume - man as lute

#43 Costume - man sitting on head with legs

#46 Costume - man as lantern

#47 Costume - siren on seahorse

#49 Costume - man as centaur

#50 Costume - man riding snail

#52 Costume - man coming from butterfly or snail

#53 Costume - man as fountain monster

#69 Costume - man in robe with telescoping head

#72 Costume - man riding snail

#74 Costume - man as centaur

#78 Costume - man with telescoping head

Cronstedt Collection.

CC175 Palais Royal section

CC176 Palais Royal plan

CC2621 Cloud display

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Biblioteca Estense, Modena General

Y. C. 316 Campori 979. "Costruzione de teatri de machine teatrali" by Fabrisio Carini Motta. Drawings published in The Theatrical Writings of Fabrisio Carini Motta.

Plate l Stage layout

Plate 2 Wing trolleys and stage section

Plate 3 Central shaft wing change and lighting devices

Plate 4 Central shaft wing change and lighting devices

Plate 5 Variations of central shaft wing change machinery

Plate 6 Variations of central shaft wing change machinery

Plate 7 Variations of central shaft wing change machinery

Plate 8 Layout of catwalks and borders

Plate 9 Machines for changing borders

Plate 10 Machines for changing and opening borders and creating box set

Plate 11 Machines for opening borders

Plate 12 Machines for raising wings from under the stage

Plate 13 Machines for raising wings from under the stage

Plate 14 Machine to raise arched borders

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Tessin Diary. General

Twenty sketches are included in the diary of the 1687-88 of Nicodemus Tessin The Younger. Eleven of these sketches include stage machinery.

Double central shafts used for a wing change on large stage

Graduated shaft for wing change

Use of plugs between the flat wings to create a "box set" effect

Border changing machine raises and lowers sets of borders

Border changing machine that alternates the visible borders

Rotating lighting pole

Lighting board hooked on the back of the wing chariot ladder

Border light batten

Shaped bottle used to create the moon

Flying Dragon Chariot with performer controls for dragons' neck and feet

Flying chair that could be lowered and flown downstage

*Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. MS HM 771. General

a plan for the production of Candy Restored showing rotating flat wings.

a section for the production of Candy Restored showing rotating flat wings controlled from below the stage

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Published Sources

Sir Philip Skippon. "An Account of a Journey made thro' part of the Low-Countries, Germany, Italy and France," A Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol VI, p. 506-508. (ed. Awnshan Churchill) London, 1732). Skippon describes productions seen at the Teatro SS. Giovanni e Paolo and the Teatro San Salvatore. General He includes three diagrams:

Floor plan of the Teatro SS. Giovanni e Paolo

Mechanized flat wing scene change using central shaft and counterweight

Flying machine utilizing a tracked sled and graduated shaft

In addition Skippon describes a border changing machine using a central shaft and a brailed front curtain.

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Sabastiano Serlio. Libro d'Architettura, Il Primo (Secondo), Paris 1545. Translation by Allardyce Nicoll is published in The Renaissance Stage (ed. Barnard Hewitt). General

Comments:

Show fire by soaking it with aqua vita and lighting it

Use of a strip of wood in a groove pulled across the stage to show miniature cutouts of people

A cutout of a planet pulled across the background on a wire

Thunder created by rolling a ball across the floor above the hall

Lightning is created by raising a box of resin which has a candle passing through it

Thunderbolt is created by a rocket on a wire

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Le P. Jean Dubreuil. La Perspective pratique par aun Parisien de la Compagnie de Jésus, Book III, Paris, 1642-49. General

Illustrations:

Four periactoi used to create a background

Two rotating quadrilateral units in front of two shutters

A series of flat wings to create an arcade

Three cutout frames in front of a background to create a glory

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Josef Furttenbach. Architectura Recreationis, [Recreational Architecture], Augsburg, 1640. Translation by George Kernodle is published in The Renaissance Stage (ed. Barnard Hewitt). General

Comments

Front curtain can be drawn to the two sides or let down into a pit

Shutters can be opened with use of counterweight

Drawings

Plan for a comedy [double periactoi in "closed" position]

Second plan for a comedy [double periactoi in "open" position]

Cross section of scene for a comedy

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Josef Furttenbach. Mannhaffter Kunstspiegel, [Noble Mirror of Art], Augsburg, 1663. Translation by George Kernodle is published in The Renaissance Stage (ed. Barnard Hewitt). General

Comments:

Simple trap cover / elevator using ropes passing through holes and operated by windlass

Lightning created by throwing Greek pitch through a flame

The use of a thunder run

Wind created by swinging a thin board on a cord

Night created by moving covers over the lights

Rain (perfumed water) and hail (sugar balls) dripped or dropped on the audience

Fiery bush created by opening an umbrella painted with flame

Oil lamps

Drawings:

First Ground Plan: Stage and Auditorium [double periactoi in "closed" position]

Second Ground Plan: Stage and Auditorium [double periactoi in "open" position]

The First Scene [double periactoi in "closed" position]

The Second Scene [double periactoi in "open" position]

The First Cloud [suspended by winch]

The Second Cloud [lever]

The Third Cloud [swing]

The Glory Box

The Cover Of The Glory Box

The Completed Glory

Machines For Bringing Objects Up From The Ground As Well As For Letting Objects Down From The Sky [Jonah's Gourd Vine]

Four Different Methods of Lighting

Oil Lamps

Mica Reflector

The Leaning Light

The Standing Light Box

Four Machines For Various Waves

Still Waves

A Sliding Wave

Violent Waves

Upstanding Waves

How To Make A Whale

How To Make A Ship

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Nicola Sabbattini. Pratica di Fabricar Scene e Machine ne' Teatri [Manual for Constructing Theatrical Scenes and Machines], Ravenna, 1638. Translation by John McDowell is published in The Renaissance Stage (ed. Barnard Hewitt). General

Book I

#37 How The Front Curtain Is Raised

#38 How To Place the Lights Outside The Stage

#38 How To Place The Lights Outside The Stage

#39 How To Place The Lamps Within The Scene

#41 How To Light The Lamps

Book II

#1 Concerning The Disappearance And Changing Of The Scenes

#2 What Is To Be Done With The Two Houses Nearest The Stage Front

#3 How To Treat The Stage Front

#4 How To Cover The Rest Of The Scenes So As To Make Them Changeable According To The First Method

#5 How To Change The Scenes By The First Method [cloth cover]

#6 How To Change The Scenes By The Second Method [sliding Serlian wings]

#7 How To Change The Scenes By The Third Method [periactoi]

#8 How to Increase The Stage Space When Scenes Disappear

#9 How To Lessen The Stage Space During The Change Of Scene.

#10 How To Stage The Total Destruction Of The Scene

#11 How To Show The Whole Scene In Flames

#12 How To Darken The Whole Scene In A Moment

#13 How To Open The Back Shutter [Shutter slides in grooves]

#14 The Second Method Of Opening The Back Shutter [hinged shutters opening like French doors]

#15 The Third Method Of Opening The Back Shutter [wheels on shutters]

#16 The Fourth Method Of Opening The Back Shutter [fly the shutter]

#17 How To Open And Close The Stage Traps

#18 How To Bring Men From The Stage Trap Quickly By The First Method [ladder]

#19 The Second Method [to bring men from the trap to the stage] [lift platform]

#20 The Third Method [to bring men from the trap to the stage] [lever]

#21 The Fourth Method [to bring men from the trap to the stage] [mask with actors]

#22 How To Make A Hell Appear

#23 Another Method Of Showing A Hell

#24 How To Make Mountains And Other Objects Rise From Under The Stage

#25 How To Transform A Man Into A Rock Or A Similar Object

#26 How To Transform Rocks Or Stones Into Men

#27 First Method Of Showing A Sea [sea cloth]

#28 Second Method Of Showing A Sea [profile waves]

#29 Third Method Of Showing A Sea [serpentine column]

#30 How TO Make The Sea Rise, Swell, Get Tempestuous And Change Color [serpentine columns plus profile waves]

#31 How To Make Ships Or Galleys Or Other Vessels Seem To Move Over The Sea

#32 How To Make Ships, Galleys And Other Vessels Move Across The Sea By Sail Or Oar, Turn And Move Back.

#33 How To Make A Ship Or Other Vessel Appear To Anchor In The Middle Of The Sea

#34 How To Make Dolphins And Other Marine Monsters Appear To Spout Water While They Swim

#35 How To Represent A River That Seems To Flow Constantly

#36 How To Make A Fountain That Seems To Throw Forth Water Continually

#37 How To Make The Heavens In Sections

#38 How To Make Part Of The Heavens Grow Slowly Clouded

#39 How To Cover The Heavens With Clouds Instantaneously [sliding frames]

#40 Another Method Of Covering The Heavens With Clouds Instantaneously [cloth cover]

#41 How To Make A Rainbow Or Arch Appear In The Sky

#42 How To Cover Part Of The Heavens With Clouds, Starting With A Small Cloud Which Becomes Increasingly Larger And Changes In Color

#43 Another Method For Making A Cloud Descend With One Or More Persons In It.

#44 Another Method For Making A Cloud Descend With One Or More Persons In It

#45 How To Lower A Cloud With Persons In It From The Rear Of The Heavens Forward To The Center Of The Stage

#46 How To Represent A Cloud hat Increases In Size As It Descends

#47 How To Make A Cloud Move Across The Stage (sliding beam]

#48 A Second Method To Move A Cloud Across The Stage [pivoting beam]

#49 How To Make A Cloud Divide Into Three Parts As It Is Lowered And Become One As t Is Raised

#50 How To Lower A Person On to the Stage Without Using A Cloud, So That He May Immediately Walk And Dance

#51 How To Imitate The Wind

#52 How To Imitate Lightning

#53 How To Imitate Thunder

#54 How To Make A Paradise

#55 How To Make Dawn Rise

#56 How To Make A Ghost Or Apparition Appear And Disappear Rapidly In Various Places On The Stage

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Johann Friederich Penther. Detailed Instructions of Civil Architecture. General

Drawings with captions for the Hannover Opera House:

Plan showing the layout of the stage

Section showing machinery located at all levels

Front Elevation showing overhead machinery

Vignola, Le Due regoli della prospettiva pratica, ed. Ignazio Danti (Rome, 1583). General

An illustration of a method of changing the set using two small periactoi at each side of the stage and a large periactoi to change the rear of the scene

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