Angelica Kauffman: Grace and Strength

Guest post by Anita Viola Sganzerla, Curator Angelica Kauffman RA (1741–1807) was one of the most distinguished and successful women artists of her time. Educated, talented, sophisticated, attractive, she charmed the art world, fellow artists, and patrons alike. From...

Curiosity and the Caterpillar

Maria Sibylla Merian’s Artistic Entomology Guest post by Kay Etheridge, Gettysburg College; with translations from German by Michael Ritterson Portrait of Maria Sibylla Merian at 32, 1679, attributed to Jacob Marrel. Kunstmuseum, Basel....

Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Revolutionary Painter

Guest post by Paris A. Spies-Gans, Harvard Society of Fellows  In July 2020, an oil painting appeared on the art market that had long been thought lost (fig. 1). A medium-sized canvas, 111 x 145 centimeters (3.6 x 4.7 feet), it depicted a sinuous woman in white,...