Puppet Theatre in the Cobbled Town

An ornate toy theatre stands in the middle of a crowded town of tiled roofs, drawn from a high corner so its stage is cut open to view. On the stage a crowned king and a green dragon stand on a checkered floor beneath red curtains, with a tiny model village at the footlights. Balcony boxes hold miniature houses, and the roof is scaled in blue and gold with stars, topped with flowers and mushrooms. Behind the stage, painted backdrops of a forest, a castle and a river wait on ladders and scaffolds, with stagehands at work. Around it, pastel houses with striped awnings, horse-drawn wagons and circus tents fill the streets. The backdrops, curtains and roof tiles are separate blocks of colour that suggest clean divisions for the pieces.