In this pencil, pen and grey watercolour sketch, Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini (1636-1707), theatre engineer at the Viennese court, appears to be creating a moving vision of a large carnival parade that the Viennese court may have commissioned or that he dreamed of realising one day. The depiction is onomatopoeic: the heavy wheels made of cheese seem to squeak on the street amidst the sounds of the festival. Disguised figures can be seen everywhere: hunchbacks, old men, boastful captains, dancing lackeys and of course the main characters of commedia dell’arte pulling the wagon. If you look at the background of the scene, you will notice other interesting details, such as the sketch of a band of musicians preparing for the festival in the top left-hand corner. A small group of travelling mimes and dancers is indicated in the centre. On the right, a group of people can be seen gathered around a large steaming kettle, perhaps filled with polenta. In the background are buildings and roofs reminiscent of Vienna at the time, which suggests that this drawing could actually be related to a courtly festival that took place in one of the courtyards of the imperial palace, on the Rosstummelplatz or in the Stallburg (“Cavallerizza”). For more information about Burnacini and his carnival characters, see the book Groteske Komödie.