72 - ANGELICA KAUFFMAN (1741–1807)

ANGELICA KAUFFMAN (1741–1807) Possibly Franciska Krasinska, Duchess of Courland, c. 1790 Oil on canvas in an oval gilded frame. Original labels and stamps on the back. Dimensions: 61 x 51 cm Provenance: Accorsi Collection - A Swiss painter of mythological compositions, allegorical subjects, and genre scenes, born in Chur, she was above all one of the most renowned portraitists of her time. Passionate about painting from a very early age, she left her native Switzerland with her family at the age of 14 to settle in Milan. Her talent was immediately recognized, as were her beauty and grace. After her mother’s death in 1857, Angelica Kauffmann traveled to Florence, Rome, and Milan, but driven by her growing success, she settled in London, where she was named a founding member of the Royal Academy. After some romantic setbacks, she returned to Italy and, in 1784, married the Venetian painter Antonio Zucchi, with whom she settled in Rome, a city she would never leave until her death.