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Lot Essay
Angelica Kauffman’s small mythological, historical and allegorical subjects, often painted on copper ovals, were much in demand during her lifetime, with many reproduced and circulated as engravings. The artist often centred female protagonists in this type of work, drawing on classical mythology and ancient literature for subject matter and presenting her heroines at poignant and meaningful moments in their narratives. No doubt capitalising on the commercial appeal of her inventions, Kauffman frequently revisited many of her compositions, such as Penelope weeping over Ulysses’s bow, which exists in numerous autograph examples.
The present work, beautifully rendered with the artist’s characteristically fluid brushwork and delicate colour palette, is exceptional in that it appears to be unique, with no known painted repetitions. It can be traced back to the year it was painted, when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy and engraved shortly afterwards by Francesco Bartolozzi, a Founder Member of the RA who engraved works by several of his fellow Academicians (fig. 1). The print states that it was engraved ‘from an Original in the Collection of the Rev. Henry Bate’, who had acquired the painting one year prior at its sale in these Rooms in 1779. At that time it was offered alongside a second oval described as 'its companion', Paris and Oenone, also subsequently engraved by Bartolozzi (fig. 2).
A note on the provenance
Henry Bate was a clergyman, journalist and dramatist whose varied career placed him at the centre of London’s literary and artistic circles, where he became a close friend and supporter of Thomas Gainsborough and the actor David Garrick. Around the time that he acquired the present work, he sat to Gainsborough for a magnificent full-length portrait alongside his dog (fig. 3; private collection, on long-term loan to the Tate, London). The baronetcy of Sloane Street, Chelsea, and Kilscoran House, County Wexford, was conferred on him in 1813.
We are grateful to Dr. Bettina Baumgärtel for confirming the attribution to Angelica Kauffman on the basis of high-resolution photographs. She will be including the painting in her forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's works.
The present work, beautifully rendered with the artist’s characteristically fluid brushwork and delicate colour palette, is exceptional in that it appears to be unique, with no known painted repetitions. It can be traced back to the year it was painted, when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy and engraved shortly afterwards by Francesco Bartolozzi, a Founder Member of the RA who engraved works by several of his fellow Academicians (fig. 1). The print states that it was engraved ‘from an Original in the Collection of the Rev. Henry Bate’, who had acquired the painting one year prior at its sale in these Rooms in 1779. At that time it was offered alongside a second oval described as 'its companion', Paris and Oenone, also subsequently engraved by Bartolozzi (fig. 2).
A note on the provenance
Henry Bate was a clergyman, journalist and dramatist whose varied career placed him at the centre of London’s literary and artistic circles, where he became a close friend and supporter of Thomas Gainsborough and the actor David Garrick. Around the time that he acquired the present work, he sat to Gainsborough for a magnificent full-length portrait alongside his dog (fig. 3; private collection, on long-term loan to the Tate, London). The baronetcy of Sloane Street, Chelsea, and Kilscoran House, County Wexford, was conferred on him in 1813.
We are grateful to Dr. Bettina Baumgärtel for confirming the attribution to Angelica Kauffman on the basis of high-resolution photographs. She will be including the painting in her forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's works.