A companion print to BMSat 9686. Italians, in a poverty-stricken room, practise for opera. A young man stands full-face, singing; he bends forward, fingers interlaced across his chest. He wears open shirt (ruffled), waistcoat, breeches, and ungartered stockings. Beside him (right) an old man plays an enormous 'cello. A middle-aged man, seated in profile, singing, plays a low harpsichord; he wears open ruffled shirt and breeches, with bare legs. Beside him on the extreme left a little boy dressed in a shirt plays the violin. On the extreme right a pretty young woman sits over the fire with an infant on her knee; she holds out a cloth to dry, looking over her shoulder to sing. Her score ('Affetuoso') is pinned to the chimney-piece, on which stands a crucifix with a tankard, &amp;c. A lean greyhound howls up the chimney. All but the old man have fashionably dressed hair, and a certain elegance. The room is lit from an open casement window (left); there are dark cast shadows and the bare room has no ceiling. On the wall are a print of 'Vestris' [Resembling BMSats 5905, 5906.] dancing, a sword, a playbill: 'l'Avaro Deluso' (opera by Paisiello, libretto by Vulpius), and a bunch of farthing dips; on the window ledge a cracked mirror, cocked hat, bottles, &amp;c. Beneath the harpsichord is a large bowl: Macaroni; and in the foreground lie a violin, music-books, earthenware pots, &amp;c. December 1785
<br>Hand-coloured etching.
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<p>Print made by: Thomas Rowlandson
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<dl><dd>Published by: Samuel Alken</dd></dl></div>
1785<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1785-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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