The Sorrow of Telemachus

The Sorrow of Telemachus
Artist	Angelica Kauffman
Year	1783
Medium	oil paint, canvas
Dimensions	83.2 cm (32.8 in) × 114.3 cm (45.0 in)
Location	Metropolitan Museum of Art
Accession No.	25.110.187
Identifiers	The Met object ID: 436809

The Sorrow of Telemachus is an oil painting by the Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman, from 1783. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.[1]

Early history and creation

This painting and Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso were painted for Monsignor Onorato Caetani (1742-1797) [it]. They show scenes from the French novel The Adventures of Telemachus published by François Fénelon in 1699, and based on the story of Telemachus, son of Odysseus.[1][2][3]

Description and interpretation

Telemachus was shipwrecked off Calypso's island, and in this image she tells her nymphs to stop singing Odysseus's praises because of his son's grief.[3]

Other versions

Kauffman painted two other versions of this work: in 1788 (held by the Bündner Museum of Art [de] in Chur, Switzerland, and in 1789 (sold by Christie's in London in April 1998).[4]

References

1. "The Sorrow of Telemachus". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
2. "Telemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso". Metropolitan Museum of Art.
3. Baetjer, Katharine (2009). "Angelika Kauffmann". British Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1575-1875. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 138–142. ISBN 9781588393487. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
4. "Angelica Kauffman, R.A. (1741-1807): The Sorrow of Telemachus on the Island of Calypso". Sale 5939: British Pictures: 8 April 1998: London, King Street. Christie's. Retrieved 12 June 2017.