Ferdinand I and His Family

Ferdinand I and His Family is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman, from 1782.

She had come from London, and was welcomed by the Royal House with honors; she even became a close friend of Queen Maria Carolina of Austria.

Kauffman completed the painting in Rome, where the work was praised by Ippolito Pindemonte.

The protagonists of the work, which is based on preliminary live studies, are all arranged along a horizontal line on a single plane, in a confident attitude, similarly to the typical scheme for the English group portraits.

[2] There are some furnishing elements in the painting, such as a cradle for walking, a large vase placed on a base and a harp, elements that refer to the harmonious and luxuriant nature of the Campania region, which is found in the background of the canvas, almost indefinite.