Kauffmann, Angelica (1741-1807; Swiss/Austrian)
Cupid and the Three Graces
Pen and wash, c.20 cm in diameter
Gift of Eliezer Montefiore, 1869
Unidentified; present location unknown
Kauffmann (also known as Kaufman) was a noted Neoclassical painter who worked mainly in London and Rome. Other works by or after her, acquired after 1905, are held in the NGV.
Unfortunately, however, the present work, like the other Old Master drawings recorded as donated by Montefiore in 1869 (see e.g. * Bartolozzi [attrib.] Study of Figures {1869} Loc? [DR]), no longer appears to be in the collection.
NGV 1905 describes it as a “medallion 8 in.in diameter,” suggesting that it may have been related to other circular compositions by Kauffmann, including “The Graces awakening Cupid” (based on an antique mural?), and an engraving of “Cupid disarmed by the Graces” (reproduced below). Further investigations may prove productive.
[comparative photo: Cupid Disarmed by the Graces [print auctioned 2013])
Refs.
NGV 1894, p.107 (V.Buvelot Gallery, 2nd bay, no.24; as measuring 5 x 8 inches); NGV 1905, p.119 (V.Buvelot Gallery, 2nd bay, no.10: see above)
For the artist, see Bénézit 7, pp.1107-9; AKL 79 (2013), pp.429-32 (with further references; also citing the online Angelika Kauffmann Research Project); and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelica_Kauffman
For the comparable works mentioned, see http://www.niceartgallery.com/Angelica-Kauffmann/Graces-Awakening-Cupid.html and http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/angelica-kauffman-original-print.-swiss-austrian-187-c-dabe118cf6 (Cupid disarmed by the Graces, stipple print, 11.75 inches in diameter, sold by Carsten Galleries, Boca Raton, Florida. 18 Oct.2013)
For the other works by or after Kauffmann in the NGV, see https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/artist/5182/