Angelica Kauffmann, R.A.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work has been lined with wax, but the lining is not effective. If this lining were reversed, and a more appropriate lining added, the raised cracking would be resolved. The painting itself is quite dirty, and there is a good deal of heavy waxy varnish in addition to an old dirt layer. It seems that the paint layer itself is in very good condition beneath all of this varnish and dirt. There is probably slight thinness to the softer colors in the shadows of the face, and perhaps in the profiles of a few of the ringlets of hair. However there is certainly nothing to discourage one from fully cleaning the picture once the lining is reversed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Another version of this portrait, also in a painted oval, is now housed in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, (inv. no. 739) and is dated 1786.  In 1781 Angelica Kauffmann married fellow painter, Antonio Zucchi and the two settled in Rome the following year.  With the support of her husband, it was at this late stage, from 1782 to 1795, that the artist was at her most productive and creating her most accomplished and refined paintings of her career.  She continued to produce works not only for her English patrons, with whom she had forged relationships with the backing of Reynolds during her time in Britain, but also for the aristocracy, receiving commissions from King Frederick of Naples and Grand-Duke Paul of Russia.  Little is known of the sitter, Baroness von Bauer, though she was likely the wife of the German writer General Friedrich Willhelm von Bauer (1731-1783).¹  Her elaborate brooch, showing the letter E surmounted by a crown, tells us she was a lady in waiting at the court of Empress Catherine (Ekaterina) II the Great of Russia (1729-1796).

We are grateful to Bettina Baumgärtel for supporting an attribution to Angelica Kauffmann.


1.   See Allgemeine Deutsche Biography, Leipzig 1875-1912, vol. II, pp. 142-143.