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Angelika Kauffmann (Chur 1741 - 1807 Rome)

Currency:EUR Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:50,000.00 - 70,000.00 EUR
Angelika Kauffmann (Chur 1741 - 1807 Rome)
Angelika Kauffmann (Chur 1741 - 1807 Rome) Ariadne handing Theseus the ball of wool at the entrance to the labyrinth, bottom centre signed Angelica ... mann, oil on canvas, 95 x 80 cm, w/ frame, (Wo)€ 50.000 - 70.000 US $ 49.500 - 69.300 Expert's Report: Bettina Baumgärtel, 25. July 2002.: Dr. Baumgärtel holds that this so far unpublished painting can be dated to the 1770s and the artist's London period, and points out that in 18th cent. painting there is hardly another example of this subject. As in other cases, Angelika Kauffmann was inspired by her detailed reading of the authors of antiquity, in particular the clever and courageous acts of their heroines, who she graciously portrayed as the true heroes of history's turning points. Baumgärtel writes: "The scene convinces by means of its factual and simple composition, proving Kauffmann's early openess towards Classicist ideas. From antiquity up to the 20th cent., the tale of Ariadne had informed numerous works of literature and fine art. Theseus, the son of the Attic king, decided to slay the Minotaur, who every seven years devoured fourteen boys and girls. The daughter of the King of Crete, Ariadne fell in love with him and offered her help; to keep him from getting lost in the monster's labyrinth, like all the other men who had tried before, she gave him a ball of wool to unwind as he moved deeper into the maze. Theseus was eventually able to defeat the Minotaur and then find his way back out again.
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