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Your absentee bid for Lot 149 - Antique Hand-Painted Theatrical Set Design For “Princess Turandot” Featuring An Industrial Stage Interior With Arches, Gears, And Flame Motifs, By Robert E. Van Rosen (1904–1966), Gouache On Bainbridge Illustration Board No. 80, 1926, 20" x 15" was successfully submitted—thank you for bidding with us!
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Lot 149 - Antique Hand-Painted Theatrical Set Design For “Princess Turandot” Featuring An Industrial Stage Interior With Arches, Gears, And Flame Motifs, By Robert E. Van Rosen (1904–1966), Gouache On Bainbridge Illustration Board No. 80, 1926, 20" x 15"
Lot 149 - Antique Hand-Painted Theatrical Set Design For “Princess Turandot” Featuring An Industrial Stage Interior With Arches, Gears, And Flame Motifs, By Robert E. Van Rosen (1904–1966), Gouache On Bainbridge Illustration Board No. 80, 1926, 20" x 15"
Lot 149 - Antique Hand-Painted Theatrical Set Design For “Princess Turandot” Featuring An Industrial Stage Interior With Arches, Gears, And Flame Motifs, By Robert E. Van Rosen (1904–1966), Gouache On Bainbridge Illustration Board No. 80, 1926, 20" x 15"
Antique original hand-painted theatrical set design for the Provincetown Playhouse production of “Princess Turandot,” executed in gouache on Bainbridge Illustration Board No. 80 and signed “R. Van Rosen – 1926” in the lower right. The composition presents a striking industrial-inspired stage interior with bold angular architecture, suspended platforms, gears, and stylized flame motifs rendered in shades of gray, black, red, and orange—reflecting the influence of early modernist and expressionist scenic design. Reverse bears the handwritten title “Princess Turandot, Provincetown Playhouse, 1926,” the artist’s signature, and a United Scenic Artists Local 829 stamp. Surface wear, toning, and edge chipping consistent with age and studio handling.
Robert E. Van Rosen (1904–1966) was an American industrial designer, stage designer, author, and lecturer. Born in Kiev, Russia, he served as an officer in the Red Army and participated in the anti-Communist underground before emigrating to the United States in 1923, later becoming a U.S. citizen in 1930. His career encompassed industrial and stage design, authorship, and teaching, and he was affiliated with the Society of American Military Engineers and the Association of the United States Army. He was listed in Who’s Who in American Art and Who’s Who in the Midwest.
(Biographical information courtesy of Syracuse University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center: https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/v/vanrosen_re.htm)
Auction Date: 10/16/2025
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