Machines de Théatres (Theatrical Machinery), pl. XV, vol. 10 from Encyclopédie, ou, arts et des métiers (Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts)
Design for theatrical machinery to create moving clouds as part of a theatrical stage design. At upper left, a set design detail featuring an architectural square with clouded sky. At upper right, another stage detail showing the figure of Medea advancing her chariot through the sky. Primary apparatus has a rectangular base with a triangular top, similar in shape to a basic house. Six clouds hanging across the width of the space at different heights are attached by wires to a large cog wheel at upper center whose movements control the heights of the clouds. A conical shaped device at lower center made up of multiple cylinders points toward the leftmost cloud, possibly suggesting controlled air that could make the clouds sway from left to right. Figure numbers and letters noted throughout, a scale and inscriptions below.
