Barbara Campanini

Barbara Campanini, known as 'La Barbarina', was one of the most celebrated dancers in Europe — famed for her performances in Paris and Berlin, where she captivated Frederick the Great and danced at his court for several years. Carriera's 1739 pastel in Dresden captures her at around nineteen, near the very beginning of the career that would make her one of the era's famous stage personalities. Like the singer Faustina Bordoni, La Barbarina represents Carriera's engagement with the world of performing arts celebrity that the Rococo era elevated to cultural prominence. The Dresden collections' representation of both women reflects the city's position as an operatic and theatrical capital. Campanini's portrait lacks the musical score attribute of Bordoni's — the dancer was identified through pose, expression, and the general atmosphere of theatrical personality rather than a specific prop.

Carriera renders La Barbarina's youthful vivacity with particular freshness: the eyes are animated, the mouth set with the controlled confidence of a performer accustomed to being watched. The costume is elegant without being formal — suggesting the informal portrait of a public figure rather than an official image of rank.