London's National Gallery just pulled off an art heist of the best kind: acquiring a major work by 18th-century rockstar painter Angelica Kauffman. The piece, Achilles discovered among the Daughters of Lycomedes, is now on display, marking the first time a Kauffman painting has entered a UK national collection in nearly two centuries. The last one, acquired in 1835, sadly went missing in action during WWII. So, this is a bit of a homecoming.
Now, about the painting itself. It's a scene from Greek mythology, specifically the Trojan War, but with a delightful twist. Achilles, the legendary hero, is trying to dodge fate (and a very early death) by hiding out on the island of Skyros, disguised as a woman among the king's daughters. Because, apparently, that's how you avoid a prophesied demise when you're a demigod.
The painting captures the exact moment his cover is blown. Achilles, sporting a pink gown and a white ribbon in his golden hair, dramatically draws a sword. This reveals him to Odysseus, who, let's be honest, probably just wanted to get the war started. The figures look like they've stepped right off an ancient classical sculpture, surrounded by discarded lutes, plumed helmets, and grand columns. It's less a painting, more a meticulously staged reveal.
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Start Your News DetoxThe Backstory of a Masterpiece
Interestingly, this specific scene isn't from Homer's The Iliad. Kauffman, ever the connoisseur of deep cuts, pulled her inspiration from Achilleid, a first-century text by Publius Papinius Statius. She was apparently quite taken with the story, creating at least three versions while living in London. One even hung at the Royal Academy, where she was one of its two founding female members. Because, of course, she was.
This particular acquisition is an oil study, or modello, for a larger work now residing in Russia. But don't let "study" fool you; at nearly four feet square, it's unusually large and incredibly detailed. It was commissioned by none other than Catherine the Great by 1787, intended as a companion piece to another painting she owned. Talk about a power-pairing.
A Generous Hand-Off
The painting found its way to London thanks to a generous gift from Dallas collectors Richard and Luba Barrett, who have a keen eye for Swiss art. They also tossed in two other works for good measure: Ferdinand Hodler's Portrait of Louis Montchal and Alexandre Calame's Four Large Trees.
Gabriele Finaldi, the National Gallery's director, expressed his gratitude for the "generous gift of three outstanding pictures by Swiss artists," noting the Kauffman is the first of her works to join the Gallery's current collection. Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying for anyone who's ever tried to find a specific painting in a museum archive.
