“The Monk from Calais” is an artwork by Angelica Kauffman, dated to 1780. This oil on canvas painting is a fine example of the Neoclassicism art movement and can be characterized within the portrait genre. The painting is part of the collection at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
In the artwork, we see three figures prominently featured in a tenebrous space. The composition forms a tight group with a central figure of a monk on the left, who appears to be in middle age with a balding head and a benevolent expression. Dressed in a simple brown habit, he is offering something small and coin-like to two younger figures—an elegantly dressed man and a woman—on the right side of the painting. The woman, positioned in the middle, wears a regal yet modest bonnet with her face framed by the hood’s edges. Her facial expression shows serenity mixed with gratitude. Beside her, the young man, who seems to have a gentle demeanor, is dressed in clothing that suggests a status of modest means or perhaps the onset of a journey, given his more austere attire compared to the monk. The sense of compassionate interaction among the characters, the sober color palette, and the delicate play of light and shadow all contribute to a serene, timeless quality representative of Neoclassical ideals.
