Angelica Kauffman Loaned to a Major Exhibition on the Trailblazing Artist at the Royal Academy

Kauffman was one of only two women of the first group of Royal Academicians. Her 1764 painting Penelope at her Loom is taking centre stage on the first long wall in the exhibition galleries at the Royal Academy.

It hangs prominently between two portraits of men that helped make her a household name in European art circles: a sensitive image of the German art historian Johan Joachim Winckelmann and an elegantly casual portrait of the famous English actor David Garrick.

Unlike the two half-length portraits, Penelope is a full-length, narrative figure painting, depicting one of the main characters and stories from Homer’s Odyssey. All three were painted by Kauffman in 1764 while she was working and living in Italy.

In 1766 she moved to London, and took the British art scene by storm. Penelope is an important early history painting by Kauffman, and it is good to see it being recognised and celebrated at this exhibition.

Kauffman depicted Penelope several times, and classical literature was a popular source of inspiration for 18th century artists. This is thought to have been the first image she painted of Penelope as a single figure (not counting Odysseus’ faithful dog Argos by her feet).

The significance of our painting to the curators of this exhibition is obvious: It also features as the second full-page image in the accompanying catalogue.

This week, some of our staff (Lucy Faithful, Nicola Coleby, Dr Alexandra Loske and Hedley Swain) went to the private view for lenders and supporters of the exhibition, and helped celebrate Angelica and Penelope. Rebecca Salter, who became the first ever female President of the Royal Academy in 2019, welcomed guests and introduced the exhibition, the artist, and the international team who made the exhibition happen.