The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Kauffmann, Maria Angelica

KAUFFMANN, Maria Angelica, a Swiss painter, born in Coire, Oct. 30, 1741, died in Rome, Nov. 5, 1807. At the age of 15 she was taken to Milan and put under the best masters in music and painting, and in 1763 she accompanied her father to Rome. Winckelmann, whose portrait she painted, in a letter written in 1764, speaks in the warmest terms of her many accomplishments, and of her intimate acquaintance with modern languages. While in Rome she painted many portraits of distinguished people. In 1765 she accompanied Lady Wentworth to England, where she was received with every mark of attention. Upon the establishment of the royal academy she was chosen one of the 86 original members. In 1781 she married Signor Antonio Zucchi, an artist, and the following year returned to Rome, where she passed the rest of her life. Some years previous to this she had been betrayed into marriage with an impostor who assumed the title of Count Horn, from whom she procured a divorce. Many of her works were engraved by Bartolozzi. She retained her maiden name until her death.