Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini (1636 – 12 December 1707) was an Italian architect, and theatrical stage and costume designer, who served the imperial court in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
beginning in 1652. He is considered one of the most important "theater engineers" in Baroque Europe and is a master of
drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...
. His work as a stage designer for the lavish entertainments at the court of the Emperors Leopold I and
Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to:
*Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283
*Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711)
*Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696)
*Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777)
...
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
The ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' ( en, Biographical Dictionary of the Italians) is a biographical dictionary published by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, started in 1925 and completed in 2020. It includes about 40,000 biograp ...
'', Vol. 15. Treccani. Retrieved online 3 July 2016 . and in many drawings in the collections of th Theatermuseum in Vienna.
Life and work
Origins and birth
Lodovico Ottavio was the son of a certain 'Grazia' and the theater architect
Giovanni Burnacini Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
from
Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137.
History
Cesena was o ...
, from whom he learned the arts of theater architecture, stage machinery and set design from a young age. His birthday and place of birth are still unknown.
With regard to his place of birth, recent research has not been able to confirm the references of early literature to
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
, which until now has been adopted by most lexica and reference works. As for the previously held assumption that Giovanni Burnacini might have received several commissions in Mantua, no archival documents or contemporaneous sources have been able to confirm this.
Since an intense and continuous period of artistic activity in the career of Giovanni Burnacini has been documented beginning in 1636 in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, it seems plausible that Lodovico Ottavio was born in the lagoon city.
Education and Venetian influence
In the middle of the 17th century, Venice was one of the most important theater cities in Europe. Beginning in the 1640s, Lodovico Ottavio’s father Giovanni led renowned theater houses in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, such as the ''San Cassian'', the ''
Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo
The Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo (often written as Teatro SS. Giovanni e Paolo) was a theatre and opera house in Venice located on the Calle della Testa, and takes its name from the nearby Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. Built by the ...
'' and the ''Teatro Santissimi Apostoli''. Some early engravings based on Giovanni’s designs, such as the one entitled Trionfo del SS. Sacramento ' (Prague, 1652), prove the close cooperation between father and son fostered during Lodovico's childhood. Working in his father’s workshop, Lodovico Ottavio, from an early age, witnessed the theater world, observing the eager cooperation and collaboration of ''impresari'', engineers, composers, musicians, actors etc.
It seems plausible that during his time in Venice Lodovico also had a chance to see the famous ''maschere'' (masks and disguises) of the Venetian
carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
and to watch performances of the
Italian comedians
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, which were very popular in the 17th century. In fact, numerous references in his graphic work—i.e. in his many drawings created decades later—indicate the importance of such experiences of his youth.
Moving to Vienna in 1651
In 1651
Emperor Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608, in Graz – 2 April 1657, in Vienna) was from 1621 Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 until his death in 1657.
Fe ...
summoned
Giovanni Burnacini Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
to Vienna due to his artistic merits and he took the sixteen-year-old Lodovico Ottavio with him. A few months later, the entire family followed, and from then on they resided in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
The move of the Burnacini family to Vienna was presumably due to an invitation by Empress Eleonora Gonzaga-Nevers, who in the same year (1651) became the third wife of Emperor Ferdinand III and who made intensive contacts with the Venetian cultural scene.
Between Vienna, Regensburg and Prague
From this point on, the Burnacinis were responsible for the design of festivals and the construction of theaters, including the invention of all the necessary decorations for the imperial court. At the imperial court theater, they introduced their own system of convertible stage sets made of canvas flats (backdrop stage), which had been tried and tested in Italy, and perfected it further. The most famous Burnacini stage works from this early period at the service of the Habsburgs include the tournament opera ''La gara'' by Alberto Vimina (Vienna, 1652) and ''L'inganno d'Amore'' by Benedetto Ferrari, which was held on March 3, 1653 in
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
on the occasion of the Reichstag (December 1652 – May 1654) and was premiered in a specially built, wooden theater house. Various other works followed, sometimes for ephemeral buildings such as the Triumph of the Blessed Sacrament ' in Prague in 1652 and the ''Castrum Doloris'' for Archduke Ferdinand IV from 1654, of which exists a copperplate engraving in the collections of the
Albertina
The Albertina is a museum in the Innere Stadt (First District) of Vienna, Austria. It houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well ...
in Vienna (inv. No. DG 2018/207).
The death of the father in 1655
After his father's untimely death on July 21, 1655, Lodovico Ottavio had to take over all responsibilities and take care of the entire family, consisting of five siblings. Nevertheless, after the government was taken over by Emperor Leopold I in 1657, Burnacini was not confirmed to his father's office. From July 1, 1657 the new monarch engaged Giovanni Battista Angelini († 1658), who had been the architect and stage designer of his uncle Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, during his governorship in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
The imperial theater engineer
On January 1, 1659—after Angelini's death—Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini was appointed as imperial court architect and stage designer, a position he held for the rest of his life. From the very beginning, Lodovico Ottavio had to prove himself with all the skills of his art, because in Vienna, plays, concerts and ballets were performed almost daily at the imperial court. Church holidays, carnival, state visits as well as joyful events at the court such as weddings, births, coronations etc. naturally gave rise to a demand for increasingly greater festivities. For such events the young theater engineer not only designed stage decorations and costumes, but had to build entire theaters and to invent stage machines and parade floats that served to amuse the emperor and his guests. Although it was interrupted by the
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
in 1679 and the Turkish siege in 1683, there was an extremely lively cultural life in Vienna in the late 17th century, in which Burnacini played a major role.
The comedy house on the ''Rosstummelplatz''
The wooden theater, which
Giovanni Burnacini Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
had built in
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
in 1653 on the occasion of the Reichstag, was dismantled and shipped down the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
to Vienna, to be re-erected on the ''Rosstummelplatz'' (riding arena) in summer 1659, at Emperor Leopold I's request. It became an extremely popular comedy house and was an impressive theater “in the size and height of a fairly large church building” with a spacious ground floor and two tiers with 60 boxes (“Zimmerl”), which is said to have offered space for “several thousand people”. The multiple backdrops allowed scene changes “well eight manner without pulling a single curtain.”
Although this comedy house was demolished in 1662, due to the opposition of the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
and perhaps also in connection with the death of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, the uncle of Emperor Leopold I, it marked an important episode in the history of the
Commedia dell'arte
(; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...
in Vienna. Well-known acting troops had been invited to perform there, playing "every day except Friday". The most famous comedians in Europe made guest appearances in Vienna, such as the
Arlecchino
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally be ...
Domenico Biancolelli (1636–1688). Possibly in homage to the comedies played between 1660 and 1662, Burnacini later drew many of his
grotesque
Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
s and Commedia dell'arte characters, which are now kept in th Theatermuseum in Vienna.
The theater ''auf der Kurtine'' – the new court theater
Between 1666 and 1668 Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini constructed the so-called ''Theater auf der Kurtine'', which rose next to the fortification of the imperial palace (''Burgbastei'') at the site of today’s court library, near
Josefsplatz
Josefsplatz ( en, Joseph's Square) is a public square located at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Named after Emperor Joseph II, Josefsplatz is considered one of the finest courtyards in Vienna.Schulte-Peevers 2007, p. 359.
Description
Josef ...
.
In this theater the most magnificent operas of the Leopoldin court were performed, first and foremost
Antonio Cesti
Pietro Marc'Antonio Cesti () (baptism 5 August 162314 October 1669), known today primarily as an Italian composer of the Baroque era, was also a singer (tenor), and organist. He was "the most celebrated Italian musician of his generation".
Biogra ...
's '' Il pomo d’oro'' (1668) on occasion of the first wedding of Leopold I with the Spanish infanta Margarita Teresa and of her 17th birthday. For this opulent opera Burnacini created 23 different stage decorations that captivated the audience through rapid changing of scenes and through other stage machines of various kinds. ''Il pomo d'oro'' became known all over the world through the prints by Matthäus Küsel and
Frans Geffels
Frans Geffels, known in Italy as Francesco Geffels (25 August 1624 – 18 February 1694) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, architect, stage designer and designer of ephemeral structures for solemn and festive occasions.Miroslav Kindl, ''Die nied ...
based on Burnacini's designs. This and other operas, whose libretti were magnificently complemented with large-format engravings, such as ''Il fuoco eterno delle Vestali'' (1674) composed by
Antonio Draghi
Antonio Draghi (17 January 1634 – 16 January 1700) was a Baroque composer. He possibly was the brother of Giovanni Battista Draghi.
Draghi was born at Rimini in Italy, and was one of the most prolific composers of his time. His contribution t ...
and the ''Monarchia latina trionfante'' (1678) composed by Draghi and
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c. 1620–1623between 29 February and 20 March 1680) was an Austrian composer and violinist of the middle Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in Vienna during the 1630 ...
vastly contributed to Burnacini's international reputation.
In 1688, after a visit to Vienna, the Swedish architect and art collector
Nicodemus Tessin the younger
Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (May 23, 1654 – April 10, 1728) was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator.
The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle ...
wrote:
''Bejim H. Burnacini der trusser undt ingegner vom Keijsser ist, habe ich alles höffligkeit genossen, in theatern undt festen wirdt heüt zu tage dass gröste lumiere von allen haben.''
(''"At Mr. Burnacini's, who is steward and engineer of the emperor, I enjoyed all courtesy; concerning theater and festivities nowadays he will be the most luminous one"'').
Tessin also described some features of the famous theater, which had to be dismantled shortly before the Turkish siege in 1683, because of the high risk of fire.
Burnacini as an architect
In 1676/1677 Burnacini was commissioned to rebuild
Laxenburg Castle
Laxenburg castles are imperial palaces and castles outside Vienna, in the town of Laxenburg owned in equal parts by Vienna and Lower Austria.''Pestsäule'' (Trinity or Plague Column) on the Viennese
Graben
In geology, a graben () is a depressed block of the crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults.
Etymology
''Graben'' is a loan word from German, meaning 'ditch' or 'trench'. The word was first used in the geologic contex ...
, which were carried out in 1687 under his direction by the brothers
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
and
Paul Strudel
Paul Strudel or Paul Strudl (c. 1648 – 20 November 1708) was an Austrian sculptor, architect, engineer, and painter, ennobled as Baron von Strudel and Vochburg.
"Landesmuseum Niederösterreich - Geschichte/Personen - Paul Strudel" (history ...
, with whom, according to Tessin, he was friends. Some sketches and drafts of this project have been preserved in th Theatermuseum in Vienna.
In the last decades of the 17th century, “almost all public and private monuments were created according to his ideas and designs”. Emperor Leopold I also entrusted him with the reconstruction of the destroyed Favorita, the building that would later become the Theresianium.
In 1698 Burnacini, together with
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His infl ...
, started building the ''Mehlgrube'' ("flour pit") on the ''Neuer Markt''.
Death
Lodovico Ottavio worked for the imperial court for over 55 years and remained in office until he died at an advanced age on December 12, 1707 from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
in his house ''zur goldenen Säule'' ("at the golden column") on Vienna's
Judenplatz
Judenplatz (German, 'Jewish Square') is a town square in Vienna's Innere Stadt that was the center of Jewish life and the Viennese Jewish Community in the Middle Ages. It is located in the immediate proximity of Am Hof square, Schulhof, and Wippl ...
.
Honors and salary
Beginning on February 1, 1665 Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini received a modest annual salary of 600 fl. (Angelini had received 720 fl., like Giovanni Burnacini). In 1671 this salary was increased by 300 fl. and in 1678 by a further 180 fl. With these 1,080 fl. a year, he was then reconfirmed in his office after the death of Emperor Leopold I by his son and successor
Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to:
*Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283
*Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711)
*Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696)
*Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777)
...
.
In 1677 he was awarded the title of Imperial ''Truchsess'' (Seneschal), in 1702 the baronial status and in 1706—a year before his death—the title of a ''Mundschenk'' (cup-bearer).
Family and marriages
Lodovico—Lodovico Ottavio's grandfather and progenitor of the Burnacini family—was an artillery man ("Bombardino") from
Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137.
History
Cesena was o ...
, who married a certain 'Giustina'. Based on archival sources, it is known that he not only served in the military, but also in service of festivals, such as for the visit of the papal legate Cardinal
Alessandro Orsini Alessandro Orsini (1592–1626) was an Italian Cardinal. He was a patron of Galileo, who dedicated his 1616 work on the tides to him, and requested that he pass it on to Pope Paul V. Orsini belonged to the ducal family of Bracciano.
Orsini was ...
in 1621 in Cesena, where Giovanni prepared and set off wonderful illuminations and fireworks. The artistic talent of the family can thus be traced back to this ancestor.
Grandfather Lodovico and Grandmother Giustina gave birth to five children: Francesco, Lodovico Ottavio's father
Giovanni Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
, Santa, Marcantonio and Nicola.
Giovanni married a certain 'Grazia' in 1630 and from their marriage—as far as can be gathered from the sources thus far available—had five children: Giustina, Lodovico Ottavio, Costanza, Giacomo and Antonio Felice. It seems likely that apart from Giovanni and Lodovico Ottavio, other members of the family were also gifted and involved in the activities of the workshop. This is suggested by statements made by Lodovico Ottavio in letters as well as descriptions found with various drawings.
Lodovico Ottavio married three times: (date?) Ursula Katharina Fenkhin († 1673), 1673 Maria Regina Langetlin († 1678) and 1680 Julia Sidonia Elisabeth von Dornwangen († 1732). No children resulted from these three marriages. According to his will, his last wife was his sole heiress. The only condition was that she should take under her care a niece of Lodovico Ottavio named Sofia, daughter of one of his brothers.
Graphic work
Printed works by or based on Burnacini's designs are scattered throughout libraries, museums and archives around the world. The approximately 410-sheet collection of original drawings from his artistic estate is preserved in the holdings of th Theatermuseum in Vienna. Thematically, this collection is divided into two large series. The first one, including numerous costume designs for festivities of the court (called ''Maschere'' by Burnacini, with inventory code Min 20); the second one (with inventory code Min 29) is far more heterogeneous and includes figurines for the
Commedia dell'arte
(; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...
and grotesques, theater decorations, drafts for floats, festive sleighs as well as allegorical, mythological, sacral compositions and figures, architectural designs for various buildings and monuments, designs for centerpieces, candelabras and ceremonial vessels, nature studies, landscapes and genre scenes.
A recent publication by the Theatermuseum presents approximately 125 grotesque drawings by Burnacini in detail, which are related to the world of comedy.
Bibliography (chronological)
* Rudi Risatti (Hrsg.): ''Groteske Komödie in den Zeichnungen von Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini (1636–1707).'' Hollitzer, Vienna 2019, .
* Andrea Sommer-Mathis – Daniela Franke – Rudi Risatti (Hrsg.): ''Spettacolo barocco! Triumph des Theaters'', Imhof, Vienna (exhibition catalogue / Theatermuseum) 2016.
* Andrea Sommer-Mathis: ''Fest und Festung. Die Wiener Burgbefestigung als Bauplatz von Tanzsälen und Opernhäusern im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert'', in: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Kunst und Denkmalpflege 64, 2010, pp. 83–92.
* Otto G. Schindler: ''Comici dell’Arte alle Corti Austriache degli Asburgo'' und ''Da Arlecchino a Kasperl. „Il Basilisco di Bernagasso“ nei paesi di lingua tedesca''. In: Alberto Martino – Fausto de Michele (Hgg.): ''La ricezione della commedia dell’arte nell’Europa centrale 1568–1769. Storia, testi, iconografia''. Pisa – Rome 2010, pp. 69–143 und 273–322.
* Samantha Santi o De Santi: ''Giovanni Burnacini (1610–1655) architetto e scenografo cesenate'' (doctoral thesis supervised by Elena Tamburini / University of Bologna, Institute for Art History), Bologna 2006/2007.
* Otto G. Schindler: ''Domenico Biancolelli e la rappresentazione del „Convitato di pietra“ a Vienna (1660)''. In: ''Commedia dell’arte. Annuario internazionale'' 1, 2008, pp. 161–180.
* Andrea Sommer-Mathis: ''Feste am Wiener Hof unter der Regierung von Kaiser Leopold I. und seiner ersten Frau Margarita Teresa (1666–1673)''. In: Fernando Checa Cremades (Hrsg.): ''Arte Barroco e ideal clasico. Aspectos del arte cortesano de la segunda mitad del siglo XVII,'' Madrid 2004, pp. 240–244.
* Andrea Sommer-Mathis: ''Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini, scenografo e costumista di Antonio Draghi''. In: Emilio Sala – Davide Daolmi (Hrsg.), ''„Quel novo Cario, quel divin Orfeo“. Antonio Draghi da Rimini a Vienna. Atti del convegno internazionale'' (Rimini, Palazzo Buonadrata, 5–7 ottobre 1998) (ConNotazioni, Bd. 7), Lucca 2000, pp. 397–410.
* Otto G. Schindler: ''„Mio compadre Imperatore“. Comici dell’arte an den Höfen der Habsburger''. In: ''Maske und Kothurn'' 38, Heft 2–4, 1997, pp. 25–154.
* Herbert Seifert: ''Der Sig-prangende Hochzeit-Gott. Hochzeitsfeste am Wiener Kaiserhof 1622–1699'' (dramma per musica, Bd. 2), Wien 1988.
* Jean-Marie Valentin: ''„Il Pomo d’Oro“ et le mythe impérial Catholique à l’époque de Léopold Ier.'' In: XVIIe Siècle 36, 1984, pp. 17–36.
* Sabine Solf: ''Festdekoration und Groteske. Der Wiener Bühnenbildner Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini. Inszenierung barocker Kunstvorstellung'' (Studien zur deutschen Kunstgeschichte, Bd. 355), Baden-Baden 1975.
* Margaret Dietrich: ''Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini.'' In: Walter Pollak rsg. ''Tausend Jahre Österreich. Eine biographische Chronik''. Band 2. Wien / München: Jugend & Volk 1973, from p. 255.
* Flora Biach-Schiffmann: ''Giovanni und Ludovico Burnacini. Theater und Feste am Wiener Hofe'' (= ''Arbeiten des 1. Kunsthistorischen Instituts der Universität Wien ehrkanzel Strzygowski' Band 43). Krystall-Verlag, Vienna / Berlin 1931.
* Albert Ilg: ''Ein Porträt Burnacinis''. In: ''Monatsblatt des Altertums-Vereines zu Wien 6'' (1889), from p. 18, p. 32.
Selected designs
File:Il Pomo d'oro, underworld scene.jpg, Stage set for the
underworld
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld.
...
in Antonio Cesti's opera ''
Il pomo d'oro
''Il pomo d'oro'' (''The Golden Apple'') is an opera in a prologue and five acts by the Italian composer Antonio Cesti with a libretto by Francesco Sbarra (1611-1668). It was first performed before the imperial court in a specially constructed ope ...
'', 1668
Burnacini costumes - nani e maschere -1680 (cropped).jpg, Costume designs for grotesques and ''
commedia dell'arte
(; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...
'' characters, 1680
File:La Monarchia Latina Trionfante set design by Burnacini.png, Stage set for
Antonio Draghi
Antonio Draghi (17 January 1634 – 16 January 1700) was a Baroque composer. He possibly was the brother of Giovanni Battista Draghi.
Draghi was born at Rimini in Italy, and was one of the most prolific composers of his time. His contribution t ...