Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2008 - 62

figure 7. sabbattini's equilateral periaktoi.

figure 8. Sabbattini's isosceles periaktoi.

a different setting for each act (two for Act I) and etchings of the sets
have survived. Blumenthal says the wings were periaktoi, but gives no
reason (Blumenthal 1984, 263). When the wedding celebration moved
to the groom's home in Parma, both Aminta and Mercurio e Marte
were produced using flat wings. This wedding marked the end of the use
of the Teatro Mediceo in Florence for productions and the inauguration
of the Teatro Farnese in Parma.
This summary of what is known about the scene changing at the
Medici court indicates that most of the productions for which the scene
change technique is mentioned used revolving units including the two
productions for which we have floor plans, La Vedova in 1569 and
Giudizio di Paride in 1608.2 The 1589 production of La Pellegrina
stands out as the exception. The wording used in the descriptions of that
production is inconclusive. A variety of wing change devices that were
rotated or were covered and uncovered were available or in use during
the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Each of these techniques had its advantages and disadvantages. The following discussion
of the types of scenic wings is illustrated with a series of computer models of the wings. Each illustration shows one or two of Guilio Parigi's settings for the 1617 production of La Liberazione di Tirreno e d'Arnea at
the Teatro Mediceo. In the illustrations the scenic decoration is applied
to each type of scenic wing. Except in the case of Lanci's periaktoi, sliding shutters are shown at the rear of the scenic stage. The viewing angles
of each set were chosen to show both the appearance of the scenery to
the audience and the shape of the wing units. The settings using the twofaced Serlian-style wings appeared the same to the audience regardless

of the machinery used to change the setting. For clarity the computer
models are brighter than they would have appeared to a Renaissance
audience who would have viewed the performance by candlelight. Computer animations of each illustration are available on the Development
of Scenic Spectacle Web site: www1.appstate.edu/orgs/spectacle/Pages/
mediciWings.html.

Angle Wings or Serlian Wings
Covering and Uncovering Devices

Sabastiano Serlio described the angle wing as a fixed scenic unit made
of flat frames with the addition of wooden relief to make it appear more
realistic (Hewitt 1958, 26-32). Nicola Sabbattini also described the construction of angle wings (Hewitt 1958, 13), but he offered two methods of
changing these wings for the production of intermezzi (Hewitt 1958, 4748). Many of the scene change techniques described by Sabbattini were
out of date by the time his book was published in 1638 and probably
indicate techniques used in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. He does not even mention the use of the flat wing as side decoration
although it was probably in use in Ferrara by 1613 and was certainly in
use in Parma by 1618.
Sabbattini described how angle wings could be nested behind one
another and be slid out to hide the next wing upstage (Hewitt 1958, 4748). Wing units with two faces undoubtedly gave the unit a realistic shape,
but they would cause difficulties for a scene change. Sabbattini warned
his readers about the need to distract the audience while the change was
accomplished. The sliding wings for the intermezzi could be exchanged

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