Genius Unveiled: The Self-Portraits of Johan Zoffany

Abstract

Several of the most important self-portraits by Johan Zoffany are examined in this study, including the work he executed for the Grand Duke of Tuscany to hang in the Uffizi Gallery and the large canvas, The Tribuna of the Uffizi, painted for Queen Charlotte of England, in which he appears as a participant. A disguised content is shown to underlie these and other images, with the artist portraying himself within the ancient tradition of melancholy genius. In particular, through a highly original use of conventional iconography, he invites associations with the Greek philosopher Democritus and with Christ. The veiled nature of such allusions was part of their meaning: genius cannot be recognized or appreciated by ordinary observers who, as in Christ's parable, see without seeing.

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