Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi

This 1788 painting of Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, depicts the Roman matron who famously pointed to her sons as her most precious jewels. The subject was enormously popular in Neoclassical art as an exemplum of maternal virtue and republican values. Kauffmann's refined oil handling favored cool, clear colors and gracefully elongated figures that drew on classical sculpture and Raphael's serene compositions, executed with a smooth, controlled touch that avoided all painterly roughness.

The composition demonstrates Kauffmann's refined approach to Roman virtue subjects, with dignified figures and warm color harmonies that make the moral lesson accessible through aesthetic pleasure.