Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus

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Artist Angelica Kauffmann(Swiss, 1741–1807, active Italy and England)Swiss, 1741–1807, active Italy and England

CultureSwiss

Titles

Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus

Date1774

PlaceNaples, Italy

PlaceEngland

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsCanvas: 25 1/8 × 35 13/16 in. (63.8 × 90.9 cm)
Frame: 32 1/8 × 42 1/2 in. (81.6 × 108 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III in memory of Neill Turner Masterson, Jr.

Object number69.23

Current Location

Rienzi

Foyer

On view

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Department

Arts of Europe and the Mediterranean

Object Type

PAINTING

Description

Born in Switzerland, trained in Italy, and made famous in England, Angelica Kauffmann was one of Europe's leading Neoclassical painters. A popular portraitist of wealthy aristocrats, tourists, and celebrities, she was also a painter of historical and mythological subjects and was fascinated by the classical frescoes then being excavated at Pompeii.

In the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, Theseus escapes the Minotaur's labyrinth with the help of his lover, Ariadne, whom he later abandons on the Aegean island of Naxos. Here, Kauffmann portrays the forsaken woman at the moment Theseus's ship sails away.

ProvenanceGeorge Bowles, Wanstead, Essex, England; to his sister, Rebecca Rushout, wife of the 1st Baron Northwick; by descent to Captain Edward George Spencer-Churchill, Northwick Park, Gloucestershire, England; [Christie’s, London, June 25, 1965, lot 89]; Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III, 1965; given to MFAH, 1969.
Exhibition HistoryProbably Royal Academy, 1774.

"Angelica Kauffmann," Kenwood, London, 1955.

“Masterpieces of European Painting from the 15th to 20th Centuries from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation," The Museum of Art, Ehime, Matsuyama, Japan, April 13–May 30,1999; Chiba Prefectural Art Museum, Japan, June 5–July 11, 1999; Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Tsu, Japan, July 17–August 22,1999; Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan, August 27–October 3,1999.

"From the Private Collections of Texas: European Art, Ancient to Modern, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, November 22, 2009–March 21, 2010.

"Antiquity Revived: Neoclassical Art in the Eighteenth Century," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, March 20–May 30, 2011.
Published References The William Benton Museum of Art Bulletin, 1974, Vol. 1, no. 3, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, p. 26, fig. 4 Lady Victoria Manners and G.C. Williamson, Angelica Kauffmann, 1924, p. 181 Christie’s Auction Catalog, Northwick Park Sale, Friday, June 25, 1965, no. 89. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Bulletin, May 1970, n.s. vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 32-33. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: A Guide to the Collection, Houston, 1981, p. 83, no. 146. Masterpieces of European Painting from the 15th to 20th Centuries from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, published by the Museum of Art, Ehime; Chiba Prefectural Art Museum; Mie Prefectural Art Museum; Fukuoka Art Museum; and the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Japan Association of Art Museums, 1999. (Exhibition catalogue in Japanese only.) pp. 150-151, illus. p.151, cat. no. 50. Janet Landay, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Visitor Guide, Houston, 2000, no. 1.44, (illus.) Edgar Peters Bowron and Mary G. Morton, Masterworks of European Painting in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000, pp. 122-124, illus. 123 Katherine S. Howe, Edgar Peters Bowron, Christine Gervais, Cindi Strauss, Stephen Fox, Suzanne Turner, Marjorie E. Wiseman, Rienzi, European Decorative Arts and Paintings, Scala Publishers, in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2008, pp. 69-71, cat. no. 14, illus. Richard R. Brettell and C. D. Dickerson III, From the Private Collections of Texas, European Art, Ancient to Modern, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Yale University Press, New Haven, 2009, pp. 204-205, cat. 37; exhibition November 22, 2009 – March 21, 2010 Antiquity Revived: Neoclassical Art in the Eighteenth Century, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, March 20 – May 30, 2011, Gallimard and Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2011, no. 44, p.97, illustrated Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Signed and dated lower left: Angelica Kauffman Pinx. 1774

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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