LONDON.- A portrait by Joaquín Sorolla, entitled ‘La Bella Raquel’ is to highlight Bonhams 19th Century Paintings auction on 29th September 2010, New Bond Street, London. Acclaimed as a ‘genius’ by Sarah Bernhardt, Raquel Meller was a highly popular singer who started life singing cuplés (couplets) to earn a living. These were considered risqué and an undignified choice for a serious singer, but with her charm and charisma Meller managed to raise the genre and make it an acceptable art form. She went on to make her debut as a film actress in 1919. As well as performing all over Spain and France, she was the first Spanish popular singer to succeed in the USA where her live concerts broke box office records. On April 26th 1926 she appeared on the cover of Time Magazine. By 1930 she had attracted the attention and admiration of Charlie Chaplin, who negotiated unsuccessfully