Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun on Raphael's tracks

4 December 2015
For Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, the trip to Italy was a great occasion to discover as many towns and sites as possible on her route...

Lady Hamilton en Bacchante dansant devant le Vésuve © National Museums Liverpool

... but it was also a trying experience because she had not intended to leave France for such a long period.



Welcomed by her friend Ménageot who was the Director of the French Academy in Rome, she was soon called to Naples to portray the Countess Skavronskaïa, the King’s children and the Queen of Naples. She also painted the portrait of Lady Hamilton as Ariadne and as a Sibyl.



Her own reputation and that of her new models then ensured enough income to allow her to stay longer.

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