Muses of Tragedy and Comedy
Portraits of Domenica Morghen and Maddalena Volpato as Muses of Tragedy and Comedy, 1791
Oil on canvas
Kauffman painted her two friends Domenica and Maddalena as the muses of tragedy and comedy respectively. The proximity of the sitters alludes to a sisterly relationship between the forms of drama that they represent. Domenica sits with the mask of Melpomene, muse of tragedy, on her lap while her sister-in-law Maddalena holds a shepherd’s crook, one of the symbols used to represent Thalia, the muse of comedy.*
From the exhibition
by Kauffman, unless otherwise stated
Angelica Kauffman
(March - June 2024)
Angelica Kauffman was one of the most celebrated artists of the late eighteenth century, described by a contemporary as “the most cultivated woman in Europe”.
Born in 1741 in Chur, Switzerland, she trained and worked in Italy before moving to London in 1766. Two years later, she was one of only two women artists to be a Founding Member of the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1782 Kauffman settled in Rome where her famous studio attracted visitors from across Europe.
In both England and Italy, Kauffman painted the most influential figures of her day and reinvigorated the genre of history painting with her focus on female protagonists.
Throughout her career, Kauffman painted a great number of self-portraits and self referential images. Through these works, she explored her identity as an artist and shaped her own reputation”.
[*Royal Academy]
Taken at the Royal Academy
Muses of Tragedy and Comedy
Portraits of Domenica Morghen and Maddalena Volpato as Muses of Tragedy and Comedy, 1791
Oil on canvas
Kauffman painted her two friends Domenica and Maddalena as the muses of tragedy and comedy respectively. The proximity of the sitters alludes to a sisterly relationship between the forms of drama that they represent. Domenica sits with the mask of Melpomene, muse of tragedy, on her lap while her sister-in-law Maddalena holds a shepherd’s crook, one of the symbols used to represent Thalia, the muse of comedy.*
From the exhibition
by Kauffman, unless otherwise stated
Angelica Kauffman
(March - June 2024)
Angelica Kauffman was one of the most celebrated artists of the late eighteenth century, described by a contemporary as “the most cultivated woman in Europe”.
Born in 1741 in Chur, Switzerland, she trained and worked in Italy before moving to London in 1766. Two years later, she was one of only two women artists to be a Founding Member of the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1782 Kauffman settled in Rome where her famous studio attracted visitors from across Europe.
In both England and Italy, Kauffman painted the most influential figures of her day and reinvigorated the genre of history painting with her focus on female protagonists.
Throughout her career, Kauffman painted a great number of self-portraits and self referential images. Through these works, she explored her identity as an artist and shaped her own reputation”.
[*Royal Academy]
Taken at the Royal Academy