Angelica Kauffman

Angelica Kauffman came to England in 1766 and during her stay of only 16 years she became one of the most successful and popular painters in this country. Born in Switzerland, she had been trained as an artist by her father, himself a painter, and had completed her formal training at the Italian Schools. Her fashionable interpretation of portraits in allegorical or classical settings, handled in the Italianate manner, caught the mood of the time and were suited perfectly to the style of decorative interiors which were then much in demand. In 1782 she moved to Rome with her husband, the decorative painter Zucci, where she lived until her death in 1807.

Many engravings were produced after Kauffman's painted works but she also produced a considerable body of original etchings by her own hand. She is known to have begun etching by 1764 and continued until shortly before her death. Kauffman's original etched works are now relatively scarce and are rare in early impressions.

A charismatic and highly attractive lady of considerable charm, Angelica Kauffman attracted a host of suitors and admirers throughout her life. She was a close personal friend of Sir Joshua Reynolds and became a founder member of the Royal Academy - she stands out as one of the few women to achieve success as a painter during this period of British art. [more]