DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66024#0148
82 ANGELICA KAUFFMANN
wife of the Minister to Russia at the Court of the King of the Two Sicilies,
Countess Skavronsky, who has already been mentioned, sat again for her
portrait, at the request of her uncle, Prince Potemkin, to whom the picture was
sent in August of that year. In this particular picture done in 1789 she was
wearing antique Grecian dress, and crowning with a garland the helmet of
Prince Potemkin, who had commissioned and paid for the picture.
A large portrait was executed in the same month for a gentleman in Poland,
whose name Angelica does not give, and then at last she was able to complete
the picture that had been ordered a long time before by the Empress Catherine.
It was a very large one, and represented Achilles, discovered, when amongst
the maidens at the Court of King Lycomedes, disguised in feminine attire.
This picture, Angelica tells us, was sent off by way of Ancona and Trieste for
Russia, and at one time it hung in the Hermitage Gallery. Whether it is
there now, or even in existence, who can tell ?
In the same year there was commissioned a religious picture for the
Colleoni Chapel in the Cathedral of Bergamo. This was by instruction of
Cardinal Carrara, and represented the Holy Family: the Virgin and Child,
St. John as a child with a lamb, and St. Joseph. It seems to have given great
satisfaction, and Angelica was highly complimented on it.
We must not omit to mention that in her manuscript she specially records
the completion of the portrait of the Duchess of Saxe-Weimar already alluded
to. In it she was depicted seated at a table, beside a bust of Minerva, and near
by were a few books with the titles of two living authors at the Court of the
Duchess. We shall not be far wrong if we surmise that the “ authors ” were
Goethe and Herder. We must also mention Fanny Burney’s reference to
Angelica’s in 1789, as it is of considerable interest. She wrote thus :—
“ Colonel Goldsworthy has just sent me in a newspaper, containing intelli-
gence that Angelica Kauffmann is making drawings from Evelina for the
Empress of Russia ! Do you think the Empress of Russia hears of anything
now besides Turkey and the Emperor ? And is not Angelica Kauffmann dead ?
Oh, what an Oracle ! for such is the paper called.”
The extract is from The Oracle of July nth, 1789, and after mentioning
Angelica Kauffmann at Rome, the entry thus proceeds : “ She is said to
have nearly finished three drawings from Miss Burney’s ‘ Evelina,’ Miss Lee’s
‘ Recess ’ and Mr. Pratt’s ‘ Emma Corbett,’ for the latter of which the author
is already indebted to her for four beautiful designs, illustrating four of the
most affecting scenes. She is also engaged on some Historic Pieces for the
Empress of Russia, as are the drawings from ‘ Evelina ’ and ‘ Emma Corbett.’ ”1
A curious set of circumstances arose in this year, concerning Angelica
Kauffmann and her sister artist Madame Vigee Lebrun. Madame Lebrun
had been journeying from Turin by way of Parma and Bologna to Florence;
1 See Austin Dobson’s edition of Mme. d’Arblay’s Life and Letters.
wife of the Minister to Russia at the Court of the King of the Two Sicilies,
Countess Skavronsky, who has already been mentioned, sat again for her
portrait, at the request of her uncle, Prince Potemkin, to whom the picture was
sent in August of that year. In this particular picture done in 1789 she was
wearing antique Grecian dress, and crowning with a garland the helmet of
Prince Potemkin, who had commissioned and paid for the picture.
A large portrait was executed in the same month for a gentleman in Poland,
whose name Angelica does not give, and then at last she was able to complete
the picture that had been ordered a long time before by the Empress Catherine.
It was a very large one, and represented Achilles, discovered, when amongst
the maidens at the Court of King Lycomedes, disguised in feminine attire.
This picture, Angelica tells us, was sent off by way of Ancona and Trieste for
Russia, and at one time it hung in the Hermitage Gallery. Whether it is
there now, or even in existence, who can tell ?
In the same year there was commissioned a religious picture for the
Colleoni Chapel in the Cathedral of Bergamo. This was by instruction of
Cardinal Carrara, and represented the Holy Family: the Virgin and Child,
St. John as a child with a lamb, and St. Joseph. It seems to have given great
satisfaction, and Angelica was highly complimented on it.
We must not omit to mention that in her manuscript she specially records
the completion of the portrait of the Duchess of Saxe-Weimar already alluded
to. In it she was depicted seated at a table, beside a bust of Minerva, and near
by were a few books with the titles of two living authors at the Court of the
Duchess. We shall not be far wrong if we surmise that the “ authors ” were
Goethe and Herder. We must also mention Fanny Burney’s reference to
Angelica’s in 1789, as it is of considerable interest. She wrote thus :—
“ Colonel Goldsworthy has just sent me in a newspaper, containing intelli-
gence that Angelica Kauffmann is making drawings from Evelina for the
Empress of Russia ! Do you think the Empress of Russia hears of anything
now besides Turkey and the Emperor ? And is not Angelica Kauffmann dead ?
Oh, what an Oracle ! for such is the paper called.”
The extract is from The Oracle of July nth, 1789, and after mentioning
Angelica Kauffmann at Rome, the entry thus proceeds : “ She is said to
have nearly finished three drawings from Miss Burney’s ‘ Evelina,’ Miss Lee’s
‘ Recess ’ and Mr. Pratt’s ‘ Emma Corbett,’ for the latter of which the author
is already indebted to her for four beautiful designs, illustrating four of the
most affecting scenes. She is also engaged on some Historic Pieces for the
Empress of Russia, as are the drawings from ‘ Evelina ’ and ‘ Emma Corbett.’ ”1
A curious set of circumstances arose in this year, concerning Angelica
Kauffmann and her sister artist Madame Vigee Lebrun. Madame Lebrun
had been journeying from Turin by way of Parma and Bologna to Florence;
1 See Austin Dobson’s edition of Mme. d’Arblay’s Life and Letters.