THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCENIC SPECTACLE
A SITE DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE THEATRICAL SPECTACLE
MODELS
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Early Illusionistic [16th Century]
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| Theatre | |
| Scene Change | |
| Sea Scenes | |
| Flying Machines | |
| Traps & Elevators | |
| Other Effects | |
| Lighting | |
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Later Illusionistic [17th Century]
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| Theatre | |
| Scene Change | |
| Sea Scenes | |
| Flying Machines | |
| Traps & Elevators | |
| Other Effects | |
| Lighting | |
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18th Century
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| Theatre | |
| Scene Change | |
| Sea Scenes | |
| Flying Machines | |
| Traps & Elevators | |
| Other Effects | |
| Lighting | |
Sources for Theatrical Scenery
Manuscripts
Biblioteca Comunale Federiciana, Fano
Bibliothéque de l'Opera, Paris
Huntington Library, San Marino
Sir John Soane's Museum, London
Published Sources
Josef Furttenbach. Architectura Recreationis
Josef Furttenbach. Mannhaffter Kunstspiegel
Archives nationales, Paris. Vol. 01.3238-42 Catalog
This is a collection of theatrical drawings entitled "Receuil de Decorations de Theatre Receuillies par Monsieur Levesque garde General des Magasins plaisirs de la chambre du ROY, Tom. I, Paris, 1752." The manuscript consists of five volumes of drawings of scenes and machines bound together in 1752. A microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 2634*,]
Since the original manuscript is very fragile, the Archives nationales restricts the use of the original manuscript. A microfilm copy is available for perusal at the library. Interestingly, there are differences between the OSU microfilm photographed in 1970 or 1971 and the microfilm available for use at the Archives nationales, which was photographed in 1991. Nineteen drawings included in the OSU microfilm are not on the Archives nationales microfilm and eleven drawings on the Archives nationales microfilm are not on the OSU microfilm. The Archives nationales microfilm notes that two drawings disappeared from the collection in 1920 and in 1922.
A few of the drawings from this manuscript have been published in a variety of sources.
Some of the drawings in this manuscript are also shown in a manuscript in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. The Nationalmuseum drawings are probably copies since they omit the notations (in French) on the Archives nationales drawings.
*Archivio di Stato, Parma. Mappe e Disegni, Vol. 4. Catalog
Collection of plans and sections of the Teatro Farnese and drawings illustrating a variety of theatrical machinery, perhaps for the 1628 production of Mercure e Marte, the opening production at the Teatro Farnese, Parma. A microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 2404,]
The machines shown in several drawings in this manuscript are also included in MS 3708 in the Biblioteca Palatina, Parma. The drawings styles of the two sets of drawings are very different.
Some drawings from this manuscript have been published in a variety of sources. Some of the drawings are reproduced in Thomas Ault's "Baroque Stage Machines for Venus and Mars from the Archivio di Stato, Parma."
Biblioteca Estense, Modena. Y. C. 316 Campori 979 Catalog
"Costruzione de Theatri, e Machine Teatrali di Fabrizio Carini Motta, Ingege ed Archtetto del Seremo Duca di Mantova 1688." Unpublished manuscript dated 1773. The manuscript describes and illustrates the machinery used for the continental scene change.
The manuscript (translated by C. Thomas Ault and Orville Larson) has been published in its entirety along with Motta's Trattato sopra la struttura de'Theatri e scene (translated by Orville Larson) in The Theatrical Writings of Fabrizio Carini Motta.
*Biblioteca Comunale Federiciana, Fano. MS Amiani 19 Catalog
The library contains, among a large collection of material about Torelli's Teatro della Fortuna, a number of unbound drawings of Bibiena settings. The drawings exist in two sets, a large scale set on thick drawing paper and a small scale set on tracing paper. All of settings are illustrated in Il Palazzo del Teatro: Storia e immagini by Franco Battistelli; three are included in Per Bjurstrom's Giacomo Torelli and Baroque Stage Design.
Two drawings at the library illustrate the continental wing and border changing mechanisms.
*Biblioteca Oliveriani, Pesaro. MS 312. Catalog
This manuscript is a bound volume entitled "Machine da Teatri Di Nicola Sabatini da Pesaro." It contains notes about Greek mythology and color, in addition to several drawings of scenes and machines. The machinery drawings are similar to some included in Sabbattini's Pratica. The major difference seems to be the use of bearings to reduce friction for some of the machines shown in the manuscript drawings and the more pictorial style of drawing..
The manuscript drawings are included in an edition of Sabbattini's Pratica edited by Elena Povoledo. A microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 2653.]
*Biblioteca Palatina, Parma. MS 3708. Catalog
This manuscript is listed as "N.39 disegni originali di macchine scene teatrali del secolo XVII. Con poche note in qualche margine del loro autori, ed in parte probabilmente eseguite del teatro farnesiano." However, the floorplan in the manuscript does not correspond to the Teatro Farnese and is shown in Venetian peidi.
At least six of the set drawings have been identified by Cesare Molinari as settings for La Divisione del Mondo produced in 1675 at Teatro Vendramino di San Salvatore.
The manuscript contains drawings in faded ink on tracing paper, which has been mounted on backings and bound. There are pencil notations faded to the point that they are unreadable at the top of some drawings
The drawings as a set illustrate the complete continental scene change and a variety of spectacular effects including sea scenes, flying actors, celestial displays, etc. Many of the machinery drawings can be related to set drawings that show the effects created by the machinery. The most complex machine is reproduced and analyzed in Frank Mohler's "A Brief Shining Moment: An Effect That Disappeared From The Illustionistic Stage."
Many of the drawings have been published in a variety of sources and a microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 2048.]
*Bibliothéque de l'Opera, Paris. Res 853. Catalog
This manuscript, often referred to as the San Salvatore manuscript, contains set designs and machinery drawings for the 1675 productions of Adone in Cipro and Germanico sul Reno at the Teatro San Salvatore in Venice.
The drawings, executed in ink and wash, show both the machinery and the resulting stage effect.
Many of the drawings have been published in a variety of sources and a microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 1703.]
*British Library, London. MS Lansdowne 1171. Catalog
These drawings are among the earliest plans and sections that show the use of Illusionistic scenery on the English stage. They include drawings for Inigo Jones' Florimene and Salmacida Spolia among others.
These drawings have been published widely and may be found in Orgel & Strong's Inigo Jones: The Theatre of the Stuart Court and John Orrell's The Theatres of Inigo Jones and John Webb.
*British Library, London, Arundel Codex 263, folio 231v & 224r
This manuscript includes the two ink drawings of Leonardo da Vinci's revolving stage. The drawings are reproduced and discussed in K. T. Steinitz's "A reconstruction of Leonardo da Vinci's Revolving stage" and in C. Pedretti's "Dessins d'une scéne, exécutés pare Léonard de Vinci pour Charles d'Amboise (1506-1507))".
*Casa Buonarroti, Florence. Archivio Buonarroti Vols. 59-60. Catalog
This is Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane's original manuscript for Il Giudizio di Paride designed by Giulio Parigi and produced in 1608 in the Teatro Mediceo.
The manuscript includes two floor plans (red chalk and ink) for the production showing quadrilateral wing units. In addition it includes a drawing showing the positions of performers in a celestial display.
The quadrilateral wing position drawings are reproduced in Arthur Blumenthal's Giulio Parigi's Stage Designs: Florence and the Early Baroque Spectacle.
*Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. MS HM 771. Catalog
This manuscript is a script for an English amateur production at a noble home in 1641. The play, Candy Restored, exists in manuscripts at the British Library and the Huntington Library. The Huntington Library manuscript also includes two drawings, a plan and a section for the production showing rotating flat wings.
These drawings are reproduced in R. A. Foakes' Illustrations of the English Stage, 1580-1642.
Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Cronstedt Collection. Catalog
Eight thousand drawings collected by eighteenth century architect Carl Cronstedt were acquired by the Nationalmuseum in 1941.
*Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Tessin-Hårleman Collection. Catalog
At the end of the seventeenth century Nicodemus Tessin The Younger, Superintendent of Buildings for the Swedish court, had Daniel Cronström, a Swedish diplomat in Paris, send theatre drawings and stage models to Stockholm. These drawings supplemented drawings sent by Tessin's son Carl Gustaf, Ambassador to Paris 1739-43 and others form the Tessin-Hårleman Collection which contains thousands of drawings.
A number of the drawings are loose rather than bound in a volume.
Volume K1 includes a group of drawings illustrating the mechanical details of costumes which present performers as animals and inanimate objects.
Volume S4. A microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 1649.]
Volume S5. A microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 2086.]
Volume S7 contains many drawings of machinery. A microfilm copy of the manuscript is available at The Ohio State University's Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute [McDowell Archive Film 2425.]
Sir John Soane's Museum, London. Catalog
The museum's holdings include two drawings of cloud machines designed by Bernardo Buontalenti. These machinery drawings are published in Amelio Fara's Bernardo Buontalenti.
Tessin Diary. Catalog
Volume Two of a diary of the travels of Nicodemus Tessin The Younger in 1687-88 includes descriptions and sketches of the machinery he saw in Venice. This volume is owned by Carl David Moselius. The pertinent text and sketches have been published in "Unveröffentliches von Nicodemus Tessin d.J. Reisenotizen über Barock-Theater in Venedig und Piazzola, herausgegeben und kommentiert von Per Bjurström" in Kleine Schriften der Gesellschaft für Theatergeschichte [in German]. The sketches and a summary of the related text is published in Gösta M. Bergman's Lighting in the Theatre.
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. He includes drawings of the central shaft scene change machinery and a flying machine and discusses other devices. Catalog
These drawings are published and discussed in Orville Larson's "Giacomo Torelli, Sir Philip Skippon, and Stage Machinery for the Venetian Opera."
Sabastiano Serlio. Libro d'Architettura, Il Primo (Secondo), Paris 1545. Translation by Allardyce Nicoll is published in The Renaissance Stage (ed. Barnard Hewitt). Serlio worked as an architect in Italy and France. It was in France that he wrote Book II of his Architettura which includes a description of a temporary theatre in a noble's great hall. Although he did not use changeable scenery, he did describe the techniques used to create some spectacular effects. Catalog
Le P. Jean Dubreuil. La Perspective pratique par aun Parisien de la Compagnie de Jésus, Book III, Paris, 1642-49. This theoretical work includes drawings of periactoi, rhomboids, and flat wings. The drawings are published in T. E. Lawrenson's The French Stage and Playhouse in the XVIIth Century.
Josef Furttenbach. Architectura Recreationis, [Recreational Architecture], Augsburg, 1640. Translation by George Kernodle is published in The Renaissance Stage (ed. Barnard Hewitt). Catalog
Josef Furttenbach. Manhaffter Kunstspiegel, [Noble Mirror of Art], Augsburg, 1663. Translation by George Kernodle is published in The Renaissance Stage (ed. Barnard Hewitt). Catalog
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). Catalog
Johann Friederich Penther. Detailed Instructions of Civil Architecture includes a plan, section and front elevation of Tomasso Guisti's 1688 Hannover Opera House. The drawings are apparently copies of Guisti's original drawings. The are published and discussed in Thomas Ault's "Architecture in the Baroque Age of Theatre" Catalog
Ignazio Danti's edition of Jiacomo Barozzi da Vignola'sLe Due Regole Della Prospettiva Practica. Danti discusses the use of periactoi on stage and includes a diagram of an early periactoi stage. The diagram is published in a number of sources including a facsimile edition. Catalog