Small arched crown made of gilt metal, paste diamonds and pink velvet. Adelina Patti wore it in Auber's opera 'I diamanti della corona', which she first performed at Covent Garden in July 1873. There are two images of Patti in the Guy Little Theatrical Photograph collection at the V&A which show her wearing this crown when she performed the lead role of Catarina in St. Petersburg. Adelina Patti (1843-1919) was a soprano born into a musical Italian family. She grew up in the Bronx in New York City. In 1861, aged 18, Patti performed to great acclaim at Covent Garden in ‘La sonnambula’ and appeared there in every season until 1884. She also sang worldwide, especially in Europe. The highest earning singer of her era, Patti married three times. One of the characters in ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ refers to ‘Patti singing divinely’, and Patti’s portrait was painted by Winterhalter, among others.
