Tito Gobbi (1908-1984) as Scarpia in Puccini's 'Tosca'. Painting by Leonard Boden (1911-1999)
Oil Painting
ca.1955 (painted)
ca.1955 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Framed head and shoulders portrait, showing Tito Gobbo in the role of Scarpia.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Title | Tito Gobbi (1908-1984) as Scarpia in Puccini's 'Tosca'. Painting by Leonard Boden (1911-1999) (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Portrait of Tito Gobbi as Scarpia in Puccini's opera, Tosca. Oil on canvas by Leonard Boden, ca.1955 |
| Physical description | Framed head and shoulders portrait, showing Tito Gobbo in the role of Scarpia. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Purchased with funds from the Estate of Robert Aickman |
| Object history | Leonard Boden (1911-1999) was a noted portrait painter, famous for his depictions of the Royal Family. His sitters included the Queen, Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales and the Prince Royal. He produced ten portraits of the Queen and was said to be one of her favourite portraitists. Boden had a great fondness for opera, often listening to recordings of arias while he worked. In 1955 he painted a full-length portrait of Tito Gobbi as Scarpia. Gobbi (1913-1984) was famous for the role, appearing opposite some of the great Toscas of the day. In his autobiography, My Life (published 1979), he recalls that the first sittings for the portrait were undertaken while he was in London, singing in Tosca at Covent Garden with Renata Tebaldi. The finished portrait (reproduced on the book jacket of My Life) is owned by the Gobbi family and a copy hangs in the Royal College of Music in London. The Theatre Museum's head and shoulders painting appears to be a preliminary sketch for the full-length. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.136-2004 |
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| Record created | January 6, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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