Koller View 3/22

3 1 A ngelika Kauffmann (1741–1807). Dido at the stake, invoking the gods. Oil on copper. 32.5 × 26.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 70 000/90 000 2 A ngelika Kauffmann (1741–1807). Self-portrait. 1780. Oil on panel. 18 × 14 cm. Estimate: CHF 30 000/50 000 2 Last presented to the public in 1999 and recently rediscovered in a private collection, this self-por- trait with brush and palette is a rare example in which Swiss-Austrian artist Angelika Kauffmann (1741– 1807) depicts herself with the attributes of painting Preview of the Old Master Paintings auction on 23 September 2022 (ill. 2). In her later self-portraits she tends to show herself with a pencil and paper, or without any artist’s tools at all. Here she reflects on her own position as a painter. Thus, the work can be understood not only as a self-portrait, but also as an allegory of painting. At a time when women artists were expected to be both muse and painter, Kauffmann succeeds in emphasiz- ing her artistic autonomy. The painterly quality of this work, the dynamic brushstrokes and the delightfully tactile elements of the composition attest to Kauff- mann’s virtuosity. Another painting by Kauffmann in the 23 September auction demonstrates her interest in classical liter- ature and mythological themes. ‘Dido at the stake, invoking the gods’ (ill. 1) exemplifies Kauffmann’s pre­ occupation with the fate of women who love in vain and their characterisation as ‘virtuous heroines’ One of the most famous artists of the 18 th century, Kauffmann grew up in Chur, Como and Milan, and re- ceived commissions from the high aristocracy, such as the Counts de Salis, for whom her father Joseph Johann (1707–1782) had painted. Stipple engravings of her allegories and history paintings were widely Angelika Kauffmann: self-portrait and allegory circulated in large editions. Kauffmann was not only well-educated and extraordinarily eloquent, but may rightly be called a true European. Her portrait of the German scholar Johann Joachim Winckelmann, painted in 1764 – now in the Kunsthaus Zürich – made her immediately popular. In 1768, dur- ing her 15 years in London, Kauffmann was among the thirty-four founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts. Kauffmann had a strong affinity to Italy. At a young age, she travelled with her father to Florence, Venice and Rome, where she spent the last 25 years of her life. With her husband, the Venetian painter Antonio Zucchi (1726–1795), she maintained a salon in their palazzo near the Spanish Steps where they lived and worked, that became a meeting place for the aristocracy as well as for artists. Among her circle there were Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Gottfried Herder, who described Kauffmann as the ‘most cultivated woman in Europe’. Throughout her life, Angelika Kauffmann remained independent as an artist and was not bound to any court. She was com- missioned to paint by high-ranking travellers to Rome, such as the Russian Tsarina Catherine the Great and Emperor Joseph II. 1 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OLD MASTER PAINTINGS Karoline Weser weser@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUE www.kollerauctions.com