# Talk:Giuseppe Verdi

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I think this should be the lead portrait of the article - it was drawn the same year and by the same artist as the current lead image, yet this one is far more iconic (with even a source), and I would argue, represents him better.
Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on this. Wikieditor662 (talk) 21:58, 13 August 2024 (UTC)

The source appears to be dead. Why do you believe it better represents him? Nikkimaria (talk) 04:38, 14 August 2024 (UTC)
Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Images Says that lead images should be based on "what our readers expect to see", and I think most people who know Verdi would expect to see that portrait. Wikieditor662 (talk) 10:05, 14 August 2024 (UTC)
What makes you say that? Nikkimaria (talk) 01:19, 15 August 2024 (UTC)
There's no way of 100% proving which portrait is more well known, so it's probably best to use our discretion if there's no other choice... And I think it's pretty obvious that this portrait of Verdi is far more recognizable. Wikieditor662 (talk) 01:47, 15 August 2024 (UTC)
Looking at the sources used in this article and profiles of Verdi elsewhere, it appears that a wide variety of images are used to represent him, including the current one. I don't see it as obvious at all that the proposed alternative is more recognizable. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:03, 15 August 2024 (UTC)
Well perhaps the fact that more than 100 other wikipedia commons pages used the image I'm suggesting, as opposed to much less for the other, so this might tell you other people also recognize this one portrait more easily.
I understand that this is hardly enough to provide with concrete evidence on its own, however the only other option would be to choose one randomly, and I think that this option would be better. Wikieditor662 (talk) 02:16, 15 August 2024 (UTC)
I think that the Baldini portrait shows more of his face, and the other is extremely dark, so of the two would prefer Baldini. What other options could we consider? What I don't don't like about Baldini is the dominance of formal outfit - for someone who liked to be a peasant. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:51, 21 August 2024 (UTC)
I'm not sure which one is the Baldini, but those are generally good reasons. Wikieditor662 (talk) 03:20, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

Apropos of the discussion above, Verdi has a number of high-quality photographs which could be used to represent him instead of a painting. None of the images on Wikimedia Commons were completely satisfactory, which lead me to upload this, my proposal for lead image. Constable31 (talk) 22:25, 23 July 2025 (UTC)

What is the status of this image in the US? It's missing a US tag. Nikkimaria (talk) 23:56, 23 July 2025 (UTC)
It's public domain, Art Institute of Chicago has it under "CC0 Public Domain Designation". Tags updated accordingly Constable31 (talk) 00:56, 24 July 2025 (UTC)
There were already at least three images of this photo at C:Category:Photographs of Giuseppe Verdi. The photographer, Ferdinand Mulnier, died in 1891, so there should be no copyright issue. As for revisiting the above discussion about the lead portrait: I agree with those preferring the Boldini portrait with the top hat and scarf from the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome, compared to that painter's much darker 3/4 length painting from the Casa Verdi in Milan that is currently in the lead. Lastly, I don't see a good reason for the proposed photograph as a lead image. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 07:44, 24 July 2025 (UTC)
Judging by the criteria in MOS:LEADIMAGE of "the type of image used for similar purposes in high-quality reference works", it seems that the two most common representations of Verdi are the top hat and scarf Boldini portrait and the Mulnier photograph (used by the English National Opera, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Opéra national de Paris, all of which appear in the first page of Google search results). Of these two, the Mulnier photo is closer to the middle of Verdi's career than the Boldini portrait, and I think it's sensible overall to prefer a photograph whenever a high-quality one is available. Constable31 (talk) 20:26, 24 July 2025 (UTC)
I generally agree that a photo is preferable, given that high quality options exist. In any case, I would prefer the Boldini above the current, since it is certainly the most widely used painting of the composer. Aza24 (talk) 22:40, 24 July 2025 (UTC)