Paintings, Prints & Drawings — 1790
Leicester Square, with the Design for a Proposed New Opera House
Robert Bray O'Reilly and Giovanni Gallini planned the construction of a magnificent new opera house, which was intended to replace the one in Haymarket which burned down on 17 June 1789. This design was never realised. Although the scheme was initially supported by the Prince of Wales, and grandees like the Duke of Bedford and the Marquis of Salisbury, it came to nothing because the promised patent was never granted.
The theatre shown here probably represents O'Reilly's own vision of the scheme, although various designs were drawn up, including proposals by the architects Victor Louis and Sir John Soane. O'Reilly commissioned the artist William Hodges to produce 'the large picture of Leicester fields' at the cost of £80.
- Category:
- Paintings, Prints & Drawings
- Object ID:
- A28577
- Object name:
- Leicester Square, with the Design for a Proposed New Opera House
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- Hodges, William
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1790
- Material:
oil, canvas, wood
- Measurements/duration:
- H 1482 mm, W 2350 mm (unframed), H 1655 mm, W 2545 mm, D 90 mm (framed)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.