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The Review - FEATURE
Published: 1 November 2007

Painting by Angelica Kauffmann, clockwise from top left: Rinaldo and Armida

Painting by Angelica Kauffmann: Rinaldo and Armida

A woman far ahead of her time

Dan Carrier previews an exhibition of works by the female artist who stormed the male bastion of Georgian England’s art world

TONGUES were wagging as soon Angelica Kauffmann arrived in London. It was not just the fact that she was a portrait artist of some repute, a lone woman in a male-dominated world. Nor was it the fact she had become one of only two women to be accepted as fellows of the recently established Royal Academy.
The gossips loved the idea of her staring at her subject for any length of time: in Georgian England, it was just not the done thing.
Add to this her beauty and a reputation as a flirt – not to mention the occasional racy subject matter she employed in her paintings – she caused an immediate stir in London and it made her a celebrity.
But there was more: her first marriage collapsed when her husband disappeared. He had claimed to be a Swedish Count but was an impostor.
He blackmailed poor Angelica and she handed over the considerable sum of 300 guineas. He quickly disappeared, leaving Angelica to explain the situation to her well-connected subjects.
Now, on the 200th anniversary of her death, an exhibition of her works is being held for two weeks at Kenwood House, and the story of Kaufmann can be revealed.
Born in Switzerland and studying in Italy, she had met many movers and shakers in the British art scene as they conducted their grand tours of Europe. Her father had worked as a commercial artist and at a young age she became well known for her own work.
She became friendly with the 18th-century portrait artist Sir Joshua Reynolds – they painted portraits of each other.
However, the exhibition focuses on her narrative paintings rather than her portraits. The works reveal Angelica’s interests in classical literature – she uses Greek and Roman iconography in the paintings on display.
Angelica had close links with the house. Her second husband, the artist Antonio Zucchi, was commissioned by Lord Mansfield’s architect John Adams to paint the ceiling of the library – the exhibition is now on display in the room next door.
She was also forward- thinking. As well as being the first woman to become a member of the Royal Academy, she was interested in the new mediums of print. She tailored many of her pieces to be used on ceramics and in decorations for furniture.
Kenwood curator Cathy Power has used Kenwood’s own collection of works and borrowed others from private collections.
She said: “Angelica was unique. Her work contributed to the exciting and innovative, neo-classical schemes that were being built by the architects, James and Robert Adam.
“Her beautiful paintings adorn many of the country’s finest houses, but these charming scenes can also contain hidden stories of the trials of romantic love.
“Kauffman was an inspiration and a successful business woman who was ahead of her time. She successfully walked a very fine line between both being a lady, and working in a man’s profession, a daring and bold ambition for the 18th century.
“She became a celebrated artist whilst supplying the printing industry – a successful combination in which many of her male contemporaries failed to achieve.”

* In Focus – Angelica is at Kenwood House, Hampstead, NW3, until November 14.
Tel: 0208 348 1286

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