Name of Object:

Portrait of Paul Draneht

Other name of the Object (second name):

Paul Draneht (1815–1894), the Superintendent of the Cairo Opera who commissioned Aida from Giuseppe Verdi

Name in original language:

Ritratto di Paul Draneht

Location:

Italy

Holding Institution:

Alexis Zervudachi Collection

Holding Institution (original language):

Collezione Alexis Zervudachi

Date of Object:

1880s–90s

Author:

Paul Troubetzkoy  (1866-1938)

Description:

Paul Draneht (1815-1894) was born in Nicosia (Cyprus) as Pavlos Pavlidis. He was the child of a Greek Christian Orthodox family who fled Cyprus due to the clashes between Greeks and Turks, and took refuge in Egypt. Muhammad (Mehmet) Ali Pasha (the Khedive of Egypt) sent him to study in France. Trusted by the Khedive (who awarded him the titles of Bey and Pasha), Paul Draneht participated in the negotiations regarding the opening of the Suez Canal.
He became superintendent of the Egyptian Opera Theatre and commissioned the opera Aida to the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The Aida opened in Cairo on 24 December 1871.

Citation of this web page:

Massimiliano Cremona, Ignazio Galella "Portrait of Paul Draneht" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;it;75;en;N

Prepared by: Massimiliano Cremona, Ignazio Galella
Copyedited by: Anne Dowell

MWNF Working Number: IT1 075