Monsignor Giuseppe Spina (1756–1828)

Angelica Kauffmann

1798 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

Artist, singer, member of Rome’s Accademia di San Luca and the Royal Academy in London, Kauffmann excelled at history painting, but her wealth and fame came from portraiture. In 1782, she and her second husband, Antonio Zucchi, settled permanently in Rome, where they became close friends with Giuseppe Spina. He was in his early forties and recently ordained when he sat to Kauffmann in January 1798. The elegant monsignor was a confidant of Pius VI and, in the service of the church, would become a skilled diplomat.

Artist

Angelica Kauffmann

Date

1798

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Carlo Orsi, 2016