A row boat leading a ship to shore while a large group of figures looks on from the coast and along the bridge at center; a deity appears in the sky at upper left; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno'

Art Historical Context

Step into the dramatic world of 17th-century Viennese theater with this etching Mathäus Küsel after a design by Ludovico Ottavianoacini, created in 1674. Titled *A row boat leading a ship to shore while a large group of figures on from the coast and the bridge at center; deity appears in the sky upper left*, it depicts bustling coastal scene alive with spectacle: a rowboat guides a grand ship toward shore, crowds gather on the beach and a central bridge, and a majestic hovers ethereally in the upper left sky. Measuring 12 x 16 3/4 inches, this trimmed sheet captures the illusionistic flair of Baroque stagecraft. As a set design for the opera *Il Fuoco Eterno* (The Eternal Fire), it exemplifies Burnacini's role as a leading designer for the Habsburg court in Vienna, where elaborate machinery, painted backdrops, and divine interventions created immersive operatic wonders. Küsel's precise etching technique—using acid to bite intricate lines into a metal plate—allowed these ephemeral theatrical visions to be reproduced and admired beyond the stage, influencing architects and artists across Europe. This print, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), highlights the cultural fusion of mythology, maritime drama, and architectural grandeur in Baroque fêtes. It invites us to imagine the awe of audiences as gods descended and ships "sailed" into palaces, bridging art, theater, and spectacle in an age of opulent absolutism.

About the Artist

Mathäus Küsel|Ludovico Ottaviano Burnacini · 1629–1681

Matthäus Küsel (1629–1681) was a distinguished German copper engraver who achieved prominence as court engraver to the Holy Roman Emperor, earning the prestigious title of imperial court engraver (Hofkupferstecher). Born into the renowned Augsburg engraving and goldsmith family Küsel, Matthäus represented the height of German reproductive engraving in the Baroque period. His extensive oeuvre encom...