Antique Oil Painting 'Cornelia and Her Jewels' c.1860
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In the painting, Cornelia, a wife of a Roman patrician is pictured with her two sons talking to a woman with a jewelry box who according to a story asks Cornelia where her jewels are if her husband is so successful.
The painting depicts the moment when Cornelia responds to the woman by gesturing to her children, indicating that they are her jewels. Cornelia tells the woman that it is her job to raise her boys to be great men like their father. This painting is an image of posterity above material items.
Cornelia is a good wife and mother who embraces her domestic role, the ideal. She also raised her two sons, Tiberius and Gaius, known as the Gracchi, to be successful politicians. Her loyalty to her sons and to their career is documented by Roman histories. During the 18th century, Cornelia was celebrated for this role and attitude.
Condition:
Excellent condition. The painting is not framed.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 64 x Width 55 - Painting
Dimensions in inches:
Height 2 feet, 1 inch x Width 1 foot, 10 inches - Painting
Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)
was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.
While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.
Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.
The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).
Satinwood
is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.
The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.
It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.
Our reference: 01725
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