A charming little black lacquered box with the portrait of the acclaimed German opera and concert soprano Henriette Sontag (1806-1854).

Starting as a child prodigy, Sontag gave her adult début in Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz, after which Weber asked her to create the title role in Euryanthe. The immediate success launched a career which included performances of Beethoven and many Rossini operas, many as premieres. She retired for 19 years after a secret marriage to diplomat Count Carlo Rossi but resumed her career after his finances deteriorated. Her career blossomed once again and she toured America in 1852. Tragically, she died of cholera in Mexico City at aged 48, the day after a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor.