Very Rare 1613 Stage Design BAROQUE PERFORMANCE CIRCLE DANCE Masque GOD COMUS

Description

Offered here is piece of history from the 17th century: a sheet containing a copper engraving by Jaspar Isac, dated 1613, with the image of a STAGE DESIGN and CIRCLE DANCE. The image was used on the cover of Edwin Binney, 3rd's ROYAL FESTIVALS AND ROMANTIC BALLERINAS 1600-1850 (NOTE: the exhibition catalog that Binney produced for the Smithsonian exhibition of his dance and ballet prints is NOT included in this eBay offering, only the sheet with the image and poem). The sheet measures 15 inches x 10 inches. The paper is hand-made, 400 years old.
From Edwin Binney's description of the Baroque dance image depicted in the copper engraving: "The god Comus leans against the right side of the arch. The dancers perform in a circle to the accompaniment of musicians standing in a balcony playing the
hautbois
. The simplicity and informality of many of the early entertainments is shown here. The performers dance in the center of the hall to entertain the diners. The
double-entendre
of the peom below is curious. It is a typical example of what will become the poetry of the later libretti."
The other side of the sheet contains a summary of the action (the "Argument") of the masque entitled COMUS.
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