Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, , . tion as anarchitect. His interpretation, based on themost profound archaeological research, of thevariety of design in Etruscan architecture,comes to us virtually as a revelation, and westill keep well within the mark when we assertthat no piece has ever been represented on thestage which approaches in its architecturalillustration that which has been set forth inthe scenery of Coriolanus. For the moment,however, we are inclined to press his claimto be a great designer of scenes in that he hasbeen able, with the ephemeral materials ofcanvas and strips of
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, , . tion as anarchitect. His interpretation, based on themost profound archaeological research, of thevariety of design in Etruscan architecture,comes to us virtually as a revelation, and westill keep well within the mark when we assertthat no piece has ever been represented on thestage which approaches in its architecturalillustration that which has been set forth inthe scenery of Coriolanus. For the moment,however, we are inclined to press his claimto be a great designer of scenes in that he hasbeen able, with the ephemeral materials ofcanvas and strips of wood, to produce theillusion of solid architectural forms. This, weimagine, is mainly due to the fact that, whenundertaking his task twenty years ago, he com-menced by making a small model of the pro-scenium and stage of the Lyceum, measuringabout two feet wide by twenty-two incheshigh, designing first a proscenium of his ownwhich unfortunately was partially hidden inthe theatre.* In this model he designed all * A rchitectural WORK FOR THE THEATRE. 97 his scenes to scale, making a series of water-colour drawings. His designs for the Forum in Rome, andfor the less elaborate Forum at Antium, wereamong the most effective of the stage perhaps his most brilliant successes of thewhole series were his models for the interiorsof houses. This is especially true of the interiorof the Senate House. The keynote of thisfine scene was its simplicity, and the fact thatvirtually only three colours were employed, inthe red and white robes of the Senators andthe warm-tinted yellow of the stone piers,seats, and architraves. Before finally quittingthis subject of the staging of Coriolanus, men-tion must be made of three other impressivescenes—the interiors of the homes of Coriolanusand of Aufidius, and the splendid moonlightview of Antium, showing the house of Aufidius,Unhappily, however, this scene was of far tooshort duration in the play, while also the moonlight was so b
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