A Dancing Young Woman as Terpsichore

This dancing figure was inspired by recently excavated wall paintings from the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum, during a period when neoclassical style was fashionable. Angelica Kauffmann was among the most important painters of the 1800s, achieving success for portraits and history subjects—a category dominated by men. Highly educated, Kauffmann was also an accomplished musician who had struggled to choose between a career in fine art or music.