Emma Hart, Lady Hamilton

Angelica Kauffman's portrait of Emma Hart, Lady Hamilton, painted in 1796, depicts one of the most famous women in Europe at the height of her celebrity: the former Emma Lyon, who had risen from humble origins to become the wife of Sir William Hamilton, the antiquarian British envoy in Naples, and the celebrated mistress of Admiral Lord Nelson. Kauffman had returned permanently to Rome in 1782, and she encountered Emma Hamilton in Italian society where the latter was already famous for her 'Attitudes' — improvised dramatic poses from classical history and mythology that made her a sensation in Neapolitan society and among Grand Tourists. Kauffman's portrait captures Emma in her prime, and as a painting by one extraordinary woman of another, it has particular historical resonance. Kauffman remained active in Rome into the 1790s and this late work demonstrates her undimmed gifts as a portraitist.

Kauffman renders Lady Hamilton with the lyrical elegance that distinguishes her portrait work, the sitter's famous beauty conveyed through graceful form and luminous skin tones. The composition is informal by grand manner standards, the pose relaxed and the expression warm. The palette is soft and harmonious, the background generalized to keep focus on the face.