Angelica Kauffman

The history painter Angelica Kauffman is visiting once again, under the patronage of her dear friend Lady Wentworth. Speaker of several languages, including English, French, Italian and German, she is an incessant reader, a talented musician but she is above all a great painter who has become a notability in all the countries she has visited. The British royal family has shown her great favor but Sir Joshua Reynolds is Angelica's greatest friend. It was he that made sure that she was among the signatories to the petition to the king for the establishment of the Royal Academy which was founded not long after. Angelica is an annual exhibitor with the Royal Academy and her painting "Leonardo expiring in the Arms of Francis the First" has received much praise. There are few women who identify themselves as history painters, which is considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting, but Angelica Kauffman is one of them.