Artware Fineart has dated this piece to the 1750s.
Portrait of an Elegant lady at a Spinet
oil on canvas
30 x 25 in. (76 x 63.5 cm.)
This was in the Sacchini setting, and the words are attributed to F Bottarelli, who was the poet at the King's Theatre. If this is the setting intended, then it was a London one, not an Italian import. Francesco Roncaglia was a male soprano! The music that appears in the picture is most likely the common print, The Favourite Songs in Creso, published by Robert Bremner, which includes the aria, starting on page 52. This was a popular score at the time this portrait was painted and it is likely that the female sitter enjoyed playing this particular score.
with thanks to Professor Michael Burden in helping us to catalogue this painting
Artware Fineart has dated this piece to the 1750s.
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Attributed to Thomas Hickey 1741-1824 Portrait of an Elegant Lady at a Spinet
