Thomas Gainsborough
A Venetian ballet dancer, Giovanna Baccelli (born Giovanna Francesca Antonio Guiseppe Zanerini) became an English celebrity when she started performing at London King’s Theatre Haymarket in 1774. This portrait of Baccelli was commissioned by her lover, John Frederick Sackville, the 3rd Duke of Dorset. Baccelli and Sackville were quite the celebrity couple and the subject of much society gossip and intrigue throughout their time together. They had a son together in 1778 and broke up in 1789.
The artist, Thomas Gainsborough, was one of the most celebrated painters of eighteenth-century England. He is well known for portraits of British society figures and members of the aristocracy. Many of his portraits, including this one, are painted in a style known as “the Grand Manner”. Grand Manner portraits are large in size with detailed settings and rich symbolism. Gainsborough painted Baccelli in mid-dance in a pastoral, wooded setting that probably refers to the story of the ballet she was performing. In the second half of his career, Gainsborough painted many other theatrical figures, such as opera singers and actors.
Shortly after completion, this portrait was briefly exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1782 but was removed due to the social impropriety of Baccelli and Sackville’s relationship.
- Alexandra Kiely
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