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Selected Poems from the Northeast Natural History Conference
Horace and Calliope
The Child Horace and
Calliope, the Greek Muse
A lithograph by Antonio Pietro Francesco Zucchi (1726–1795) of a painting by his wife, Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann (1741-1807). Each color was printed by a separate lithographic stone. From the collection at Eagle Hill.
The text at the bottom of the print reads ...
When young and tir’d with sport and play
and bound in pleasing sleep I lay
Doves cover’d me with myrth boughs
and with soft murmurs sweeten’d my repose
Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) was a Roman poet who lived from 65 BC to 8 BC. His poetry often explores themes of love, philosophy, and the human condition.
In her painting, Kaufmann rendered the narrative of Horace’s Odes III, 4, into an impressive image at its most miraculous and sacred moment. In it, Horace tells us that when he was a little child, he stayed with his nurse who lived in the mountains of Apulia. Once when playing he left the safe borders of his nurse’s garden and ran out into the wild nature of the Apulian mount Voltur (vulture). While occupied with his play, he became tired and fell asleep. An unprotected child in midst of hostile nature is, of course, very dangerous. But a miracle happened. Calliope sent pigeons to him to protect him and cover him with boughs of myrtle and laurel.
Calliope is one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology. She was the Muse of epic poetry and eloquence and is often depicted holding a writing tablet or scroll (here it is a book). She is considered the eldest and wisest of the Muses. She is the mother of Orpheus, the legendary musician and poet.
The doves indicate that a religious mystery is taking place, because of their sacred number (three) and color (white). The white doves represent the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Holy Trinity.
A remarkable pioneer, Angelica Kauffman made art similar to other talented women artists but did so not from the fringes, but from the very center of the recognized British art establishment. She was cultured, widely travelled, and multi-lingual from childhood. As a great friend to both Joshua Reynolds and Johann Wolfgang Goethe she was well connected, highly respected and much loved by some of the most influential artists of her day. As such, she was one of only two women to officially sign the founding document for the establishment of the Royal Academy in London. She managed to wholly avoid destructive ridicule and sexual innuendo that often followed women trying to make their way as artists at this time.
Despite being rebellious and individual by nature, always preferring the imaginative rather than imitative approach to art, Kauffman remained clever and careful to always take convention into consideration as the way to maintain a good reputation and secure the smooth progression of her career. Although predominantly a traditional Neoclassical painter, throughout her career there is a tendency to reflect and to maintain the steady production of self-portraits alongside portraits of notable figures and large historical canvases. She was married to the Venetian artist, Antonio Pietro Francesco Zucchi, and in death was honored by her friend, the iconic Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova, who organized her funeral and carved her tomb.
Antonio Pietro Francesco Zucchi (1726–1795)
Antonio Zucchi was born in Venice and studied under his uncle Carlo Zucchi and later Francesco Fontebasso and Jacopo Amigoni. He married Angelica Kaufmanin 1781, who late in life moved with him to Rome. In 1756, he was elected to the membership of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice. In England, he was elected an associate to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1770.