Speakers
- Mickaël Bouffard (Sorbonne University - TMS - CELLF)
- Dominique Brême
- Benoît Dratwicki (CMBV - CESR)
- Bruno Forment (Orpheus Instituut)
- Florence Gétreau (IReMus)
- Gaëlle Lafage (INHA)
- Barbara Nestola (CESR - CMBV)
An anonymous painting, recently acquired by the Musée du Grand Siècle following its identification by the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, offers new perspectives on the organisation and practices of the Paris Opera at the end of Louis XIV’s reign.
Recently appearing on the art market and identified by Barbara Nestola, director of the CMBV’s Research Department, an anonymous painting from the early 18th century has been acquired by the Musée du Grand Siècle to enrich its collections. To date, it is the only known iconographic document depicting the interior of the Opera house during the reign of Louis XIV.
It is all the more valuable as it reveals the institution in full operation, showing both the audience in the auditorium, the orchestra in the pit and the performers on stage. It therefore documents the artistic, technical and social aspects of an opera performance.
In connection with other known contemporary sources, this study day will examine the painting from the perspectives of art history, musicology, theatre studies and sociology.
