Image of the Day

Josef Hoffmann - The Nibelheim

I recently purchased a book of the designs of Josef Hoffmann for the first Bayreuth Der Ring des Nibelungen in 1876 and it arrived today, much to my excitement.  It contains the colour images as well as a lot of background information.

Here is the black and white version of The Nibelheim.  I love the sense of depth and height he conveys in his scenic designs, they're somewhat reminiscent of the Bibiena's work a century or so before.

While the monochrome versions are beautiful in their own right, the coloured ones are even more amazing and evocative.