ITALIAN CASTRATI & THEIR PORTRAITS with Mark Shepheard

Tuesday 15 Apr 2008, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Although their voices are lost forever, the likeness of many seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Castrati continue to attest to the fame, notoriety and public success enjoyed by the Castrato singer. They were, and still are, ambiguous figures: as an emasculated male, he was the object of vilification and derision; as a unique singer of exceptional range and power, he was the object of adulation and even desire.

Mark Shepheard, a PhD Candidate at Melbourne University, will examine a range of Castrato portraits - including those of the most famous of Castrati, Farinelli - to explore the ways in which they were represented and, more significantly, the ways in which they chose to represent themselves.

SOLD OUT This event is currently at capacity. If you wish to be added to the waitlist, please email visitorservices@johnstoncollection.org or call The Johnston Collection on (03) 9416 2515 and we will contact you if places become available.