In the introductory sections, this paper discusses some of the most telling accounts in Classical literature of how the celebrated ancient Greek painter Zeuxis (ca. 430–390 B.C.), discriminatingly selected five exceptionally beautiful girls as models for his masterful portrayal of the mythical Helen of Troy. The analysis in the second part of this essay in turn focuses on the manner in which the complex narrative scene taking place in the studio of the ancient master painter was – in contrast to her male contemporaries (and competitors) – most imaginatively depicted by one of the best renowned late-18th-century female artists, Angelika Kauffmann (1741–1807).
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