KAUFFMANN, Angelica

It was Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete, who helped Theseus, whom she loved, to escape from the labyrinth with the aid of a ball of string, but all she had in return was to be abandoned by him on the island of Naxos. Here Bacchus came to her rescue. Classical representations show Ariadne asleep when Bacchus arrives, as described by Philostratus.

The sitter of this portrait is Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury (1773-1856). Its pendant represent his wife Henrietta Maria Hill (c.1773-1831). These two portraits, painted by Angelica Kauffmann in Rome, commemorate the marriage of Lord Bruce, later 2nd Earl of Ailesbury and Henrietta Hill, whose love match was contracted while both were on the Grand Tour in Italy.

General James Masterson (1715-77) is portrayed bust-length, wearing a red coat. He served with the Hanoverian army during the defeat at the Battle of Falkirk to the Jacobites in 1746, he became an aide-de-camp and confidant to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765). By 1761 Masterson had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became Deputy Adjutant-General for Ireland. His military career continued to flourish, and he retired in 1762 with the rank of General, and continued a political career as MP for Stirling Burghs in 1768.

The sitter of this portrait Henrietta Maria Hill (c.1773-1831), the wife of Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Marquess of Ailesbury (1773-1856), whose portrait is depict4ed on the pendant of this painting. These two portraits, painted by Angelica Kauffmann in Rome, commemorate the marriage of Lord Bruce, later 2nd Earl of Ailesbury and Henrietta Hill, whose love match was contracted while both were on the Grand Tour in Italy.

John Apthorp (1730-1772) was the son of the prosperous Boston merchant Charles Apthorp (1698-1758). In 1763, he and his family, which included two daughters, Grizzell and Catharine, set sail for Italy. They met Angelica Kauffmann in Rome and sat to the painter in the summer of 1764.

In the present canvas, Kauffmann chose a horizontal format to accommodate the figures of the two young daughters, who stand embracing each other at the left. Their father glances down to them, seated in a chair and dressed in a red velvet suit, his arm resting on a table. It was suggested in the literature that the figures of the two girls had been added at a later date, however, it is debated.

This painting was a study from the model, without hands, for a full-length portrait. The sitter, Prince Stanislaus Poniatowski (1754-1833) was the nephew of the last King of Poland, Stanislaus Augustus (1732-1798) and son of Casimir, the King’s older brother (1721-1800). The portrait was executed in Rome, where Angelica Kaufmann settled in 1782 and had a great reputation as a portrait painter of the aristocracy.

Signed at left: Angelica Kauffmann. Pinx: Romae a° 1795.

Angelica Kauffmann was one of the most celebrated artists of her time, winning high praise from Goethe (whose portrait she painted), Herder and other literary figures. Her popularity was not entirely due to the fact that by the end of the eighteenth century women had been to some extent emancipated by the Enlightenment, for her surviving pictures, particularly her portraits, show that she was an exceptionally gifted artist who consistently and effectively expressed in her works the approach of the new era of Neoclassicism. Most of her historical compositions are based on classical and literary themes, while her portraits are characterized by lucidity of form, noble poses and cool, limpid colours.

This portrait of a middle-aged woman in front of her dressing-table was for many years believed to be a self-portrait, but comparison with authentic self-portraits disproves this. The inscription tells us that the portrait was painted in Rome in 1795, so it is more likely to have been a likeness of Princess Esterh�zy, for whom Angelica Kauffmann is known to have worked at that time.

The Vestal Virgins were priestesses of the temple of Vesta (Greek Hestia), the Roman goddess of the fire that burns in the hearth. One of the Vestals’ duties was to keep the altar fire in the temple burning perpetually. They were sworn to absolute chastity; breaking the vow was punished by burial alive.

In this painting, the young woman is dressed as a vestal virgin - one of the maidens who looked after the Temple of Minerva - offering a sacrifice to the goddess, whose sculpted image appears in the background. The painting contains a number of elements which can be related to Reynolds’ painting and with English painting in general, making it likely that it was painted during Kauffmann’s English period.

Even at the age of eleven, Angelica Kauffmann earned admiring praise for her portrait of Bishop Nevroni and although she would later concentrate on allegorical, antique, historical and religious themes in her paintings, the portrait was to remain the driving force behind her success throughout her life. She received so many commissions that her painting tended to become rather routine, taking on an increasing smoothness and superficial appeal at the expense of a more distinctive style. This Portrait of a Young Woman also has something routine about it, and is as pleasingly decorative as any interior decor that she might have created in her frequent collaboration with the English architect Robert Adam. Nevertheless, it does show a face as that of a highly sensitive personality.

The plush purple drapery behind her may refer to the high-born Europeans and Russians who commissioned portraits by Kauffmann and acquired her history paintings. It surely represents the refined colours for which she was famous.