Portret van de operazanger Giovanni David 1822 - 1870

Leopold Beyer made this print of Giovanni David, the celebrated opera singer, sometime in the early 19th century. It would have been made using an engraving process. Images like this offer insights into the cult of celebrity that was emerging at this time. David is posed in costume, referencing one of his well-known roles, but it’s also an attempt to connect him with the artistic and intellectual prestige of classical antiquity through his toga-like garb. The image was commissioned and produced for commercial sale by Artaria & Co. in Vienna. As printmaking became a major industry in the 19th century, the institutions of art became more closely tied to the market. Prints like this offered a relatively inexpensive way for a broader public to consume images, and to align themselves with cultural elites like David. Historians of art and culture can learn much about a society's values by studying images like this, looking at visual styles, artistic patronage, and the relationships between art and commerce.