Auguste Vestris

May 1, 1809

Not on view

The singer Lucia Elizabeth Vestris appears here as Don Giovanni. In 1820 she had been hired by William Elliston, manager of London's Drury Lane Theatre and, after her success in several productions, the theater revived Moncrieff's "Giovanni in London" and cast Vestris as the lead. The production opened on May 30, 1820 and "the female Giovanni" became the singer's most famous role--later repeated at Covent Garden, Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin. Unlike Mozart's now iconic opera of the same name, this comic variation was fluid in structure and the star often improvised additions and adaptions.

Artwork Details

Title: Auguste Vestris
Engraver: Henry Meyer (British, London 1780–1847 London)
Artist: After J. F. Godelet (British, active 1809–26)
Publisher: Mathews and Leigh (London)
Sitter: Auguste Vestris (French, Paris 1760–1842 Paris)
Date: May 1, 1809
Medium: Stipple and line engraving
Dimensions: Sheet: 6 3/16 in. × 4 in. (15.7 × 10.2 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Object Number: 17.3.756-2470
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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