Colombina touching Brighella's mask; and Colombina picking something from his basket

Novelli was a fertile and sensitive illustrator of contemporary poetry and plays. His prodigious output as a draftsman was a reflection of his own interest in literature – he was affiliated with the Venetian Literary Academy – and of the burgeoning publishing industry in eighteenth-century Venice. Novelli established himself as one of the most elegant and prolific draftsmen and illustrators of his time. These two drawings, depicting characters of the Venetian theater, recall the artist’s designs for the illustrations of Carlo Goldoni’s plays.