A woman standing on the right side of a road lined with columns; at center a statue of a female with cupid flying nearby; to the left, a woman emerging from the clouds as another sits among flames above; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno'

Art Historical Context

Step into the dramatic world of 17th-century Baroque theater with this enchanting etching, *A woman standing on the right side of a road lined with columns; at center a statue of a female with cupid flying nearby; to the left, a woman emerging from the clouds as another sits among flames above; set design from 'Il Fuoco Eterno'*. Created in 1674, it captures a fantastical stage set alive with mythological figures: a poised woman amid grand columns, a central statue flanked by the playful Cupid, ethereal women in clouds and flames evoking eternal fire and divine passion. The composition blends architectural grandeur with symbolic allegory, typical of festive opera spectacles. Collaboratively designed by Italian stage designer Ludovico Ottaviano Burnacini—renowned for his opulent Viennese productions—and masterfully etched by German engraver Mathäus Küsel, this print preserves the ephemeral magic of Baroque theater. Etching, an intaglio technique using acid to bite intricate lines into a metal plate, allowed for precise reproduction of elaborate details on a trimmed sheet measuring 12 1/16 × 16 9/16 inches. Classified under Prints-Fête, Ornament & Architecture, it highlights the era's fusion of architecture and performance art. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), this work offers a window into the cultural splendor of Habsburg courts, where such sets dazzled audiences with illusions of infinity and myth. A testament to printmaking's role in immortalizing spectacle, it invites us to imagine the roar of applause amid flickering torchlight.

About the Artist

Ludovico Ottaviano Burnacini|Mathäus Küsel · 1636–1707

Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini (1636–1707), born into an artistic family in northern Italy—likely Venice—was the son of the renowned theater architect Giovanni Burnacini from Cesena and his wife Grazia. From a young age, he studied under his father, mastering theater architecture, intricate stage machinery, and set design amid Venice's vibrant carnival culture and Commedia dell'arte performances. The ...