The Sorrow of Telemachus
1783 painting by Angelica Kauffmann
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The Sorrow of Telemachus is an oil painting by the Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman, from 1783. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.[1]
| The Sorrow of Telemachus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | Angelica Kauffman |
| Year | 1783 |
| Medium | oil paint, canvas |
| Dimensions | 83.2 cm (32.8 in) × 114.3 cm (45.0 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| Accession no. | 25.110.187 |
| Identifiers | The 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's 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]