Herbert Sidney (1858-1923) - Emma Nevada In The Role Of Violetta Valéry In "la Traviata"

- Oil on canvas. - In a climatic moment of the opera of operas, the protagonist is aware of the immediacy of her death and the impossibility of changing the course of events. Tuberculosis has degraded her beauty (Ah! Come sono mutata!) and the expression of the tragic monologue of the poet Piave reaches its lyrical climax thanks to Verdi's music. - Opera lovers often lament the rarity of paintings reproducing famous scenes from their favorite melodramas. This painting, of exceptional quality, is also due to a particular performer and performance. Emma Nevada, one of the first great international sopranos, appears in the role of Violetta Valéry in a magnificent profusion of lace. The artist Herbert Sidney grew up surrounded by the art collection of his father, FW Adams, who was at the time one of London's leading dealers. He was therefore immersed in the art world from an early age and his talent was recognised from an early age. However, it was through his studies at the Royal Academy, Antwerp and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and under the tutelage of great artists such as de Keyser, Van Lerius and Gerome, that Sidney became a talented and, over time, highly sought-after artist. Sidney changed his name by public deed to Herbert Sidney and frequently exhibited at major academies and galleries under this name throughout his career. His works were exhibited during his lifetime at the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; The Royal Academy; The Royal Cambrian Society; The Hiberian Academy; The Royal Institute of Oil Painters; and the Arthur Tooth and Son Gallery. - Dimensions of the unframed image: 128 x 102 cm / 134 x 109 cm with beautiful original frame. - It comes from a private collection of paintings in Paris. - Labels which, according to an inscription, demonstrate the "pedigree" of the painting. Commissioned by John Barker, owner of the Cromwell Crescent department store, it went to auction in France, to be acquired, in 1951, by Pierre Mennat.