Portrait of the singer Giuseppina Grassini (1773-1850)

In one of the two cases on the wall of this room is a miniature depicting the contralto Giuseppina Grassini, who
became famous not only for her undisputed vocal talents but also for her great beauty.
This miniature was amongst the most prized items put to auction in Paris by Giulio Sambon, which supplied the
Museum with its original collection.
It was reproduced on the cover of the Museum’s first guidebook in 1913.
Grassini,seen here in Paër’s Dido by Ferdinando Quaglia and commissioned by Napoleon, was a singer greatly admired
across Europe, and lover of both Napoleon and Wellington (after Napoleon’s defeat). The composer Nicola Zingarelli wrote the part of Juliet in his opera Juliet and Romeo for her voice, while Domenico Cimarosa wrote the role of Horatia in The Horatii and the Curiatii, staged at the Fenice in
Venice.