Zeuxis Selecting Models for His Painting of Helen of Troy
| Zeuxis Selecting Models for His Painting of Helen of Troy | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Angelica Kauffman |
| Year | c.1778 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, history painting |
| Dimensions | 77.3 cm × 110 cm (30.45 in × 43 in) |
| Location | Brown University, Providence |
Zeuxis Selecting Models for His Painting of Helen of Troy is a c.1778 history painting by the Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman.[1] The painting features a legendary scene featuring the Ancient Greek painter Zeuxis who attempting to produce a picture of Helen of Troy struggled to find a model to capture her celebrated beauty. Ultimately he chose five different women from the island of Crotone in Magna Graecia to produce a composite work of ideal beauty.[2]
Kauffman was a leading artist of the Neoclassical style and she sought to provide authenticity by basing the stances of the various women on classical statues.[3] Today the painting is in the collection of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.[4]
See also
- List of paintings by Angelica Kauffman
- Zeuxis Choosing the Most Beautiful Women from Croton as His Models, a 1789 painting by François-André Vincent
References
- ^ Alexander p.83
- ^ Perry & Rossington p.55-67
- ^ Moyle p.210-11
- ^ https://library.brown.edu/collections/amb/detail.php?ItemID=AB%2021
Bibliography
- Alexander, David S. Angelica Kauffman: A Continental Artist in Georgian England. Reaktion Books, 1992.
- Moyle, Franny. Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun: The Entwined Lives of Two Great Eighteenth-Century Women Artists. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025.
- Perry, Gillian & Rossington, Michael. Femininity and Masculinity in Eighteenth-century Art and Culture. Manchester University Press, 1994.