H Beard Print Collection
Print
22nd December 1801 (published)
22nd December 1801 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Print entitled 'A Bravura Air MANDANE', a portrait of Elizabeth Billington (née Weichsel). Published in London by Hannah Humphrey.
Elizabeth Billington (1768-1818) was one of the most popular and highly paid opera singers of her day. After a triumphant debut at Covent Garden in 1786 she received a salary of £1000 to appear at the theatre for a season, and in 1801, after a period in Italy, she was in such demand in London that it was arranged for her to make alternate performances at Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres. Her first 1801 performance was as Mandane, daughter of King Xerxes in Thomas Arne's opera Artaxerxes, and Gilray's caricature shows her in this role. Mrs Billington was known for her wide vocal range, which was shown to good effect in the opera's celebrated aria, The Soldier, tir'd of War's Alarms.
Elizabeth Billington (1768-1818) was one of the most popular and highly paid opera singers of her day. After a triumphant debut at Covent Garden in 1786 she received a salary of £1000 to appear at the theatre for a season, and in 1801, after a period in Italy, she was in such demand in London that it was arranged for her to make alternate performances at Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres. Her first 1801 performance was as Mandane, daughter of King Xerxes in Thomas Arne's opera Artaxerxes, and Gilray's caricature shows her in this role. Mrs Billington was known for her wide vocal range, which was shown to good effect in the opera's celebrated aria, The Soldier, tir'd of War's Alarms.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | H Beard Print Collection (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | hand coloured etching and stipple engraving, ink and wash on paper |
| Brief description | Print entitled 'A Bravura Air MANDANE', a portrait of Elizabeth Billington (née Weichsel). Published in London by Hannah Humphrey on 22nd December 1801, Harry Beard Collection. |
| Physical description | Hand-coloured etching and stipple engraving. Full length caricature of the opera singer, Elizabeth Billington, singing with her right hand on her bosom and her left arm extended. She wears a white dress with gold decoration and a blue overdress and has a plume of feathers in her hair. Above left the words 'A Bravura Air' and above right the word 'MANDANE'. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Harry R. Beard Collection, given by Isobel Beard |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Print entitled 'A Bravura Air MANDANE', a portrait of Elizabeth Billington (née Weichsel). Published in London by Hannah Humphrey. Elizabeth Billington (1768-1818) was one of the most popular and highly paid opera singers of her day. After a triumphant debut at Covent Garden in 1786 she received a salary of £1000 to appear at the theatre for a season, and in 1801, after a period in Italy, she was in such demand in London that it was arranged for her to make alternate performances at Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres. Her first 1801 performance was as Mandane, daughter of King Xerxes in Thomas Arne's opera Artaxerxes, and Gilray's caricature shows her in this role. Mrs Billington was known for her wide vocal range, which was shown to good effect in the opera's celebrated aria, The Soldier, tir'd of War's Alarms. |
| Associated objects |
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| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.26-2008 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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