The Ancient Theater is an original modern artwork realized by the Austrian artist Maria Elisabeth Wrede in the first half of the XX Century. Original colored watercolor on paper. Hand-signed on the lower right margin by the artist: Wrede. Excellent conditions. Exquisite work on paper depicting the architectural silhouette of an ancient classical theater. The strokes are realized in watercolor with a very smart and rapid touch with lively and warm colors. Wrede’s technique as well as her art convey the amenity of the Mediterranean landscape and the simplicity and frugality of public and private life in this island of the Eastern Mediterranean that held such a fascination for Western European travellers. This work was realized by the Austrian artist Maria Elisabeth Wrede (Salzburghofen, 1898 - Paris, 1981). A student of Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant, Wrede was part of the circle of Paul Valéry and Ivan and Claire Goll and was friends with painter Robert Delaunay and his wife Sonja Delaunay-Terk. Wrede was a talented painter, with a special inclination for watercolour. She became known mainly for her portraits of famous people, such as Jean Cocteau, Valéry and his wife, André Maurois, Colette, Picasso e.a., which she drew in pencil. Wrede’s drawings are included in other travel accounts, such as “Cyclades” by Aloys de Marignac of 1936.