THE PRINCIPLE OF HOPE

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courtesy. The Duke led his guests through a thousand­foot long, brightly lit hothouse, he led them through orange and lemon groves, past thirty lakes and fountains. In
the castle courtyard stood the table, clouds descended, clouds parted, the summit of Mount Olympus became visible, with its gods, framed by golden pillars, to one
side the seats of the four elements, and Italian arias rang from Mount Olympus, siren music without any danger. A hidden machine set Venus with sixteen gods of love
on to the decorated table; the lady yielded, the cavaliers smiled, and at the end of the festival the whole consumable universe was served on the woman's skin, on the
man's pleasure. Never were more brilliant festivals celebrated than in the Baroque period, that theatrical age, and its distant echo in the Rococo period; never were they
embodied with such refined extravagance — at a time of departing but all the more decorative feudal power. The French Second Empire obtained its already rotten
highlights from this source, and even today all splendour — from New York ice revues in Madison Square to the coronation in London — loan spectacular fairy­plays
of the Baroque period in a tortured fashion. But the non­tortured element is lacking, and the pleasure in decoration, however peculiar it was, of the age of Makart had
nothing at all in common with genuine exuberance. The banquets of the former merely chewed over ancient lustre again and again and fraudulently copied it, whereas
the Baroque festival had represented with the lavish vividness of its own age ancient themes and themes of its own with further superelevated reflection. Fancy­dress
balls and sleigh parties, pleasure hunts and equestrian contests equally embodied that Baroque style which seeks marvels in architecture, unprecedented amazement in
scene­painting. But the final festive dream of Baroque society was to be carried off to India, to the court of the Great Mogul. Even Greek mythology, which was used
for disguise or allusion, lay in the latitude of Delhi. Festive architecture posited tropical colours and contours throughout in order to be at home in it ad libitum.
It is only a step from this remoteness to the colourful stage itself at that time. To the world on the boards which is appropriate to a lavish plot. And hence to the posed
scene on which the portrayed festivity is framed, and whereby something else was so richly to prosper. Baroque stage sets far surpassed the preparations for a festival
in dissipation beyond the familiar and its field of vision. Giuseppe Galli­Bibiena (1696–1757) was the genius of the operatic scene, of that enchanted all the more by
means of optical tricks. Hence the idea of introducing the perspective of the character on