The Singer Faure as Hamlet
by MANET, Edouard, Oil on canvas, 194 x 131 cm
Jean-Baptiste Faure (1830-1914) was a celebrated French operatic baritone and an art collector of great significance. He made history by creating several important operatic roles written by such prominent composers as Giacomo Meyerbeer, Giuseppe Verdi and Ambroise Thomas. They included the leading baritone parts in L’Africaine, Don Carlos and Hamlet (in 1865, 1867 and 1868 respectively).