Painting Detail
Portrait of Henrietta SontagArtist: Hippolyte Delaroche
Medium: Painting, Oil on canvas, 73x60 cm
Date: 1831
Genre: Portrait
Source: All-Union Society Antikvariat, 1933
Henrietta Sontag was a German coloratura soprano. She made her debut in 1824 but left the stage in 1830 upon her marriage, returning to the theatre in 1848 and once again performing with great success in many cities across Europe and North America. Delaroche depicted Sontag in the costume of Donna Anna from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. This role, which the singer first performed in Paris in 1828, was one of the best in her repertoire. Although the portrait has all the characteristics of an official work, with its centralized composition, the sitter placed full face, it is softened by the gentle incline of the head and the thoughtful dreamy gaze, a melancholy sadness which is probably due to the nature of the role of Donna Anna.