Design for Stage Set with Double Storey of Torqued Columns and Balustrades.

Art Historical Context

Francesco Galli Bibiena (9–1739), a master of Baroque theatrical architecture from the illustrious Bibiena family of Italian designers, created this intricate *Design for Stage Set with Double Storey of Tored Columns and Balustr*. Rendered in pen and brown ink with brush and gray wash over graphite underdrawing, the sheet (10 3/16 x 7 5/8 in.) captures a grand, multi-level interior scene alive with twisted columns and ornate balustrades, ev the dramatic illusion of vast palaces or temples on stage. Bibiena revolutionized stage design in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, pioneering the *scena per angolo*—an angled perspective that created breathtaking depth and movement for operas and court spectacles across Europe. His designs, like this one, transformed flat proscenium stages into immersive worlds, blending architecture with optical trickery to heighten emotional impact. Torqued columns, spiraling dynamically, exemplify the Baroque flair for movement and grandeur. This preparatory drawing, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (purchased 1971), highlights Bibiena's meticulous technique: precise ink lines define structure, while gray washes add volumetric shadow, simulating light flooding a theater. A testament to the era's fusion of art and performance, it invites visitors to imagine the spectacle unfolding under candlelight.