Longitudinal Section of a Theatre

Nicolas Marie Potain

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The glory days of the French monarchy saw a steep increase in the construction of new theaters to accommodate a variety of performances, from comedy and drama to dance and music. The complex technical requirements of sound, lighting, and staging made theater design into a tour de force of the architectural profession; these challenges, however, also necessitated a certain level of standardization with respect to internal proportions and spatial allocations. Designs of theaters therefore often look alike at first glance but can be distinguished by the aesthetic details of their exteriors and interiors. Potain’s design (here shown in a longitudinal section) is marked by a double facade with Corinthian columns and a rich Neoclassical interior.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art