Joseph Coomans, Princess Amneris From Guiseppe Verdi's Opera Aida, 1877

(Pierre Olivier) Joseph Coomans
Belgian painter
Brussels 1816–1889 Boulogne-Billancourt
Princess Amneris from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aida
Oil on canvas : 122,5 X 61 cm
Signed and dated lower right “J.Coomans 1877”
Frame : 125,9 X 64,7 cm

Joseph Coomans was a Belgian painter who knew his greatest successes in Paris where he settled in 1860.

Our painting dates from 1877. It stands out within the artistic production of Coomans, who painted academic, highly detailed reconstructions of ancient Roman life and portraits of young, sensual Oriental or Antique women.

This painting must represent one of the major characters of the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi: Princess Amneris. In fact one year before Coomans painted this Egyptian figure, in April 1876, was the French première of Aida at the Théatre-Lyrique Italien in Paris. The Austrian mezzo-soprano Maria Waldmann, who sang the role of Amneris at the European première in Milan and 4 years later in Paris wore this typical Vulture Crown.

All my paintings stand fully documented on my website :​​​​​​
https://www.jeanmoust.com/categories/eccentricities-travel-and-archaeology/coomans-joseph-amneris/item-3453384