The Sorrow of Telemachus

The Sorrow of Telemachus is a 1783 oil painting by Angelica Kauffman. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]

The Sorrow of Telemachus
ArtistAngelica Kauffman 
Year1783
Mediumoil paint, canvas
Dimensions83.2 cm (32.8 in) × 114.3 cm (45.0 in)
LocationMetropolitan Museum of Art
Accession No.25.110.187 
IdentifiersThe Met object ID: 436809

Early history and creation

This painting and Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso were painted for Monsignor Onorato Caetani (1742-1797). They show scenes from the French novel The Adventures of Telemachus published by François Fénelon in 1699, and based on the story of Telemachus, son of Odysseus.[1][2][3]

Description and interpretation

Telemachus was shipwrecked off Calypso's island, and in this image she tells her nymphs to stop singing Odysseus' praises because of his son's grief.[3]

Other versions

Kauffman painted two other versions of this work: in 1788 (held by the Bündner Museum of Art in Chur, Switzerland, and in 1789 (sold by Christie's in London in April 1998).[4]

References

  1. "The Sorrow of Telemachus". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  2. "Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  3. Baetjer, Katharine (2009). "Angelika Kauffmann". British Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1575-1875. pp. 138–142. ISBN 9781588393487. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. "Angelica Kauffman, R.A. (1741-1807): The Sorrow of Telemachus on the Island of Calypso". Sale 5939: British Pictures: 8 April 1998: London, King Street. Christie's. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
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