Mengs was one of the most famous artists of his day. He was court painter to Charles III of Spain and was a celebrated portraitist as well as noted for his historical and mythological works. Here he points to a sketch for one of his last completed paintings, 'Perseus and Andromeda' (Hermitage, St. Petersburg). In the best tradition of artists’ self portraits, this is a work of searching introspection: his face bears signs of emotional strain and weariness, his hair is unkempt and he wears his ordinary workday jacket and scarf.
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