Virgil, reading to the Aeneid Augustus and Octavia by Angelika Kaufman

Painting by the Swiss artist Angelica Kaufman “Virgil reading the Aeneid Augustus and Octavia.” The size of the picture is 123 x 159 cm, canvas, oil.

In the Hermitage Museum the picture came from the palace-museum in Lazienki in Warsaw in 1902. This picture Kaufman is also known under the name “Virgil reading the Aeneid Octavia and the Emperor Octavian Augustus.” The plot of the work was an event from ancient Roman history, which was told by the Latin writer Macrobius in the 5th century AD.

The artist depicts the moment when Octavia, the sister of Emperor Augustus, loses consciousness, listening to Virgil’s verses, reminding her of the death of the early-dead son of Marcelia. The master of neo-classicism Kaufmann creates a balanced composition typical for classicism, in which, against the background of a light sky, a central group of three female figures is singled out.

In the opening of the arch you can see the Capitol and the temple of Jupiter Thunderer. Spectacular poses of the characters resemble skillfully played mise-en-scene; heroes convey their feelings with expressive gestures. Through the conventionality and normativeness of classicism in the picture shows the sentimentality of rococo. Muted colors in the picture create a soft color scheme.