Elizabeth Billington (née Weichsel)

Gillray, James (1757-1815)

Item type:

print

Date of creation:

1801

Height:

35.8 cm  (14 1/8 in.)

Width:

25.4 cm  (10 in.)

Technique / Medium:

hand-coloured etching and stipple engraving

Place of creation:

London (England)

Additional titles

Description

This print shows Mrs. Elizabeth Billington in the role of Xerxes' daughter, Mandane in the three-act opera Artaxerxes by Thomas Arne. She is probably singing the aria, "The Soldier, Tir'd of War's Alarms" in Act 3, which requires a bravura performance such as only a soprano with a large range and consummate technical skills can handle. By all accounts, Mrs. Billington was famous for such performances. (Description from jamesgillray.org)

People as subjects

Billington, Elizabeth (ca. 1765-1818) (Musician)

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

5052