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This company had Porpora as composer and Senesino as principal singer,  but had not been a success during its first season of 1733-34. Farinelli, Porpora's most famous pupil, joined the company and made it financially solvent. Such was Farinelli's charisma on stage, that Charles Burney reported that when Senesino and Farinelli performed together, with   Senesino as a furious tyrant and Farinelli the hero in chains: 'the captive so softened the heart of the tyrant, that Senesino, forgetting his stage-  character, ran to Farinelli and embraced him as his own.'\r\n\r\nBorn in Naples, Farinelli achieved quasi-mythological status and fame in his lifetime for the extraordinary range and quality of his voice, his   breath control, and his androgynous beauty. He made his name first in Naples, then Rome and Bologna. The twenty three year old singer  received a rapturous reception for his first performance in Venice in 1728 at the fashionable San Giovanni Grisotomo theatre. He then proceeded   to tour Europe, earning the title 'Singer of Kings.' He performed at all the main courts of Europe and was requested to sing for King Louis XV of   France at the Queen's apartments, for which he received the rare and distinguished honour of a portrait of the King embossed with diamonds,  and a fee of 500 livres. Despite his success in England, historians feel that the enormous rivalry between the Covent Garden Opera House run  by Handel and the Nobles Theatre put Farinelli under a considerable amount of pressure and encouraged him to accept the King of Spain's offer  in 1737 to become his Private Councillor and musical director at the royal chapel. With the death of Ferdinand VI and the accession of Charles III  in autumn 1759, Farinelli was granted a generous pension but was asked to leave Spain. He returned to Italy and settled in Bologna where he  died.","physicalDescription":"Portrait of Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli, Harry Beard Collection","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Grignion, Charles (the elder)","id":"A19490"},"association":{"text":"Engraver","id":"AAT25165"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Amiconi, Giacomo","id":"A29347"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"print-making","id":"AAT131119"},{"text":"engraving (printing process)","id":"AAT53225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Engraving, printed ink on paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2013GN7148"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"001","id":"THES356570"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":"AAT41273"}],[{"text":"engraving","id":"AAT41340"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1770","earliest":"1765-01-01","latest":"1774-12-31"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.3162-2009","id":"O1140929"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"S.3163-2009","id":"O1140930"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"S.1682-2014","id":"O1301277"},"association":""}],"creditLine":"Harry R. Beard Collection, given by Isobel Beard.","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"19","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"15.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'CARLO BROSCHI, / DETTO FARINELLI'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Printed below portrait"}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Portrait of Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli (1705-1782). Engraving by Charles Grignion after Gicomo Amiconi, Harry Beard Collection","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Broschi, Carlo","id":"N10073"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.1626-2012"],"accessionNumberNum":"1626","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2012,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"","id":""},"number":""}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2012-12-07","availableToBook":true}}