The Performance of Divine Providence on the Early Modern Stage: Tumbling Canvases and History Plays

In early modern corrales de comedias, stage effects were quite common; they provided spectators with a visual display that enhanced their reception of the dramatic poetry. Until recently, however, scholars have focused mainly on the text of early modern plays, pursuing purely literary analyses instead of investigating the uses and possible meanings of these effects in performance. This study examines the cultural significance of one stage effect, the falling painting, in three history plays: Tirso de Molina’s La prudencia en la mujer, Diego Ximénez de Enciso’s La mayor hazaña de Carlos V, and La Baltasara, written by a team of three playwrights, Luis Vélez de Guevara, Antonio Coello, and Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla. In the first part of my study, I examine the dynamic role of this stage property that falls without human intervention to argue that the painting represents unseen forces and establishes an elaborate connection between art, history, and divinity. Finally, I find that the falling painting reinforces art’s moralizing and didactic function in a visual manner for audiences attending early modern corrales, and it also embodies the relationship between divine providence and early modern historiography. (CCO)