Classical Amphitheater. Artist: Louis Jean Desprez (French, Auxerre 1743-1804 Stockholm). Dimensions: Sheet: 8 1/4 13 9/16 in. (21 34.5 cm). Date: ca. 1777-84.Originally trained as an architect, Desprez is best known for his drawings for the abb de Saint Non's Voyage pittoresque de Naples et de Sicile (1781-86), and from 1784 on, his theater designs for the Gustav III's opera house in Stockholm. This sheet may have originally been part of a sketchbook and can, in any case, be considered as part of a group of sketches of similar dimensions, executed in the same media, and all lightly squared. The majority of such drawings are conserved at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden. The subjects of these sketches often feature classical architecture either observed in or inspired by the environs of Rome, southern Italy, or Sicily, with figures enacting imagined historical events. This drawing appears to represent an ancient theater in a style influenced by the many ruins Despr