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Subterranean Jail for the Stage
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Trained as an architect, Abel Schlicht also designed stage sets for the Mannheim National Theater. An important forum for German cultural identity, the theater was one of the first companies to produce exclusively German-language plays, including those by beloved playwright Friedrich Schiller. Prisons were an especially popular drama subject in the 1700s, and sets would have featured in multiple productions. Here, Schlicht employed aquatint to render the gloomy space of one of his prison scenes. This technique enabled the artist to create the range of tones used to illuminate the background and plunge the foreground into darkness.
| Artist / Maker | Abel Schlicht |
|---|---|
| Date | 1788 |
| Culture / Origin | Germany, 18th century |
| Medium | etching and aquatint |
| Dimensions | Image: 40.9 x 56.6 cm (16 1/8 x 22 5/16 in.); Platemark: 49 x 63 cm (19 5/16 x 24 13/16 in.); Sheet: 54.2 x 71.2 cm (21 5/16 x 28 1/16 in.) |
| Department | Prints |
| Type |
About the Artist
Abel Schlicht (German, 1754–1826) Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
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