A Bravura Air. Mandane (December 22, 1801, Met-Objekt 4340)
Original title: A Bravura Air. Mandane
kurzbeschreibung
James Gillray made this etching, titled A Bravura Air. Mandane, in December 1801. It shows a singer in stage costume with a baroque feel. The print belongs to his satirical works on opera and theatre culture of his time.
Description
A woman in a white dress with gold trim appears, a blue veil dotted with flowers falling down and a feathered crown on her head. Her pose is animated: one arm raised, the other held across her body, mouth wide open, forehead creased — a performance meant to impress. Simple wavy lines behind her probably suggest singing. Pale areas and the colourful costume sit together in pastel tones.
Context
Gillray was one of Britain's best-known caricaturists, admired around 1800 for his satirical prints. This sheet dates from December 1801, when opera performances drew large audiences in London. He repeatedly targeted the exaggerated mannerisms of singers and actors. The work belongs to a series on music and theatre.
Impact
The overdone facial expression and gestures make the picture comic and ironic. Opulent costume and distorted face meet, and that contrast exposes the stage pose as ridiculous. The pastel palette takes some of the edge off the satire.
Technique
For the etching, lines were bitten into a copper plate. The thin strokes and the division of colour areas show the typical intaglio method. The colours were probably added by hand with watercolour after printing, as was common at the time.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)