A Passion for Performance: Sarah Siddons and Her Portraitists [Hardcover]

Robyn Asleson (Editor), Shelley Bennett (Editor), Mark Leonard (Editor), Shearer West (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0892365560 | ISBN-13: 978-0892365562 | Publication Date: September 2, 1999

A Passion for Performance features three lively essays--by Robyn Asleson, Shelley Bennett, Mark Leonard, and Shearer West--that explore the life and career of the English actress Sarah Siddons (1755-1831), who was renowned for her majestic beauty and impassioned performances. This lavish volume also illuminates her relationships with a number of artists who portrayed her, bringing together fifty-six portraits of Siddons including works by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, George Romney, Thomas Lawrence, and Gilbert Stuart, along with a chronology of the actress' life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robyn Asleson, research associate at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California and author of Albert Moore: The Analysis of Beauty, Shelley Bennett, curator at the Huntington and author of Thomas Stothard: The Mechanisms of Art Patronage in England, Mark Leonard and Shearer West. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892365560
• ISBN-13: 978-0892365562
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,417,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A very sad book to be sourced from a museum, March 8, 2007

By 

Wyota - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Passion for Performance: Sarah Siddons and Her Portraitists (Hardcover)

I knew this was a book about the life and career of Sarah Siddons, which I cared nothing for. I purchased the book solely for the advertised 56 portraits or Sarah, thinking it'd be a great treasure to be able to see and compare 56 portraits painted by different artists over her career.

I was so horribly disappointed that I can only suggest you run from this book if the works are of interest to you. Sure there are 50 color and 74 black and white illustrations, but most are thumbnails scattered through the text. There is 1 full page color portrait and 10 half page ones, the remainder are 1/4 page or smaller and most of these are full figure portraits so you can imagine how little detail they show.

If you're interested in Sarah Siddons' life and career then this may be an amazing book, I don't know since I didn't bother to read it. It's not worth buying for any other reason though.

I'd also add that if this is common to all Getty Trust publications I wouldn't purchase any more of them either.