[An architectural design for a theatre backdrop signed "Tasca"]

[An architectural design for a theatre backdrop signed "Tasca"] (lower left) pencil.Pen and black ink and grey wash, unframed 6 3/8 x 9 7/8 in. (16.3 x 25.1 cm). Most likely done for Monima e Mitridate. Dramma serio per musical with music by Nasolini, performed in Venice in 1799 (Sartori 15899). Another possibility is Il trionfo di Gedeon, a Dramma sacro per music done in 1798, also in Venice.

Upper left is a half-dome building. Beneath center is a plaza with fountain ornamented with swans. Steps lead up to the fountain. To the right is a public building of four stories, probably the palace. Right center to the rear is a mosque in the background. (truncated) The crescent moon, religious symbol of Islam, is depicted on several building tops. Palm trees indicate a desert setting.

Of the almost 25 productions credited to Tasca as the scenografi, two seem most likely to provide the subject for this drawing (assuming the drawing was for an actual production). Most likely is Monima e Mitridate: Dramma serio per musical with music by Nasolini, performed in Venice in 1799 (Sartori, 15899). Another possibility is Il trionfo di Gedeon: A Dramma sacro per music done in 1798, also in Venice (Sartori, 22993).

Luigi Tasca flourished at the end of the 18th century and the very beginning of the 19th. Benezit surmises he was born in Padua. He executed theatre designs in Perugia, Livorno, and Pergola. Sartori credited him with being a resident of Fiorenza and a member of Accademia Fiorentino. He designed the ornamental facade for the Teatro San Marco in Venice.

Reference: Sartori, I Libretti Italiani a stampa dall origini al 1800 (1993). Provenance: Christies. (Inventory #: 1002)