| 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 anoil painting by the Swiss artistAngelica Kauffman, from 1783. It is in the collection of theMetropolitan Museum of Art, inNew York.[1]
This painting andTelemachus and the Nymphs of Calypso were painted for MonsignorOnorato Caetani (1742-1797) [it]. They show scenes from the French novelThe Adventures of Telemachus published byFrançois Fénelon in 1699, and based on the story ofTelemachus, son ofOdysseus.[1][2][3]
Telemachus was shipwrecked offCalypso's island, and in this image she tells her nymphs to stop singing Odysseus's praises because of his son's grief.[3]
Kauffman painted two other versions of this work: in 1788 (held by theBündner Museum of Art [de] inChur, Switzerland, and in 1789 (sold byChristie's in London in April 1998).[4]
