Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures

This 1785 painting of Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, pointing to her children as her treasures is one of Kauffmann's most celebrated compositions. The Roman matron's exemplary motherhood became the supreme model of female virtue in Neoclassical art. 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 mastery of the history painting genre, with clearly organized figure groups and warm color that make the moral exemplum both instructive and aesthetically satisfying.