Angelica, was the only daughter of Johann Josef Kauffmann, a native of Schwarzenberg, near Bregenz, and a painter of very mediocre talent, by his second wife, Cleofe Lucin. The father's first wife, Maria Sibilla Lohrin, by whom he had a son, probably died in 1740. When Angelica was eleven months old, Kauffmann removed to Morbegno. She early showed a precocious talent for drawing, which her father encouraged. At nine years of age she had begun to use crayons and oils, and when in 1752 the Kauffmanns left Morbegno and settled at Como, she executed a portrait in pastels of the bishop of that diocese, which was generally admired, and procured her other commissions. She also showed some talent for music, and studied history and modern languages, four of which she afterwards spoke fluently. In 1754 the family went to Milan, where Angelica studied in the galleries, and, becoming friendly with the governor, was introduced into the best society. She soon gained popularity as a portrait-painter, and the Duchess of Carrara was among her sitters. After her mother's death (1 March 1757), Angelica went with her father to his native village, Schwarzenberg, where he undertook a commission from the Bishop of Constance to paint the church in fresco, and his daughter executed twelve full-length figures of the apostles in the niches round the church. The bishop was so well satisfied that he commissioned both artists to paint some sacred subjects on the walls of his villa, and while there Angelica painted the portraits of her host and some of his guests. On returning to Milan, Angelica finally adopted the profession of painting in preference to that of music, for which her father had at one time designed her. She commemorated her difficulty in making her choice between the arts in an allegorical picture (1760), ‘A Female Figure allured by Music and Painting,’ of which she made many drawings. One, executed as late as 1802, she sent to Schöpfer at Munich, who copied it in chalks. To complete her artistic education, her father took her to Piacenza, Parma, Reggio, Bologna, and after seven months' study at Florence they arrived at Rome in January 1763. Part of that year was spent in Naples, where Angelica painted the portraits of many English persons. Returning to Rome in the winter, she made the acquaintance of Winckelmann, and painted the portraits of him which are now respectively at Frankfort and Zürich. At Rome she first devoted herself to allegorical and historical compositions, which are chiefly characteristic of her later style. In October 1765 the Kauffmanns went by way of Bologna to Venice, where Angelica studied the works of Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese. Here she met her English friends from Naples, and was persuaded by them to visit England. In 1766 she left Venice with Lady Wentworth, wife of the English ambassador, Mr. Morris, and after staying at Paris arrived in London, 22 June 1766.
The young artist was at once introduced by her patroness into the best English society, and herself and her paintings rapidly became the mode. Her father joined her early in 1767, and the two artists made their home in Golden Square. A portrait which Angelica painted of the Princess of Brunswick and her infant (one of her best portraits, now in Hampton Court Gallery) won royal favour; the Princess of Wales visited her studio, and she was introduced at court. Besides painting Queen Charlotte and Christian VII, king of Denmark, Angelica was employed to decorate a room, called the Flower Room, for the queen at Frogmore. But about November 1767 she unfortunately contracted a clandestine marriage in a catholic chapel with an impostor, who called himself the Count de Horn. The man had many aliases, and seems to have been a valet or a courier. His deception was soon discovered; the Kauffmanns bribed him to leave England, and procured a deed of separation, dated 10 Feb. 1768, from the pope. Horn's death finally released Angelica. Her charm of manner attracted many distinguished admirers. Goldsmith wrote some lines to her; Garrick, whom she painted, was much fascinated by her, and Fuseli paid addresses to her. Her most serious flirtation, however, was with Sir Joshua Reynolds, whose acquaintance she made directly she arrived in London. He painted her portrait twice. She frequently visited his studio, and painted a weak and uncharacteristic portrait of the painter, which Bartolozzi engraved. Nathaniel Dance, whom she had met in Italy, is also said to have been hopelessly in love with her [see Holland, Sir Nathaniel Dance]. He painted a portrait of her which is now at Burghley House, the property of the Marquis of Exeter (cf. Taylor, Records of my Life, i. 47). Through Reynolds's influence she exhibited in the Associated Painters' Gallery, and was elected one of the original thirty-six members of the Royal Academy on its foundation in April 1769. Until 1782 Angelica exhibited annually at the Academy, and was an occasional exhibitor in later years. Between 1769 and 1797 she sent to the Academy eighty-two pictures in all; the ceiling of the council chamber at Burlington House is by her hand. She was selected as one of the artists to carry out
