An English Family Group 1771 - 1795

Antonio Zucchi made this pen and brown wash drawing, “An English Family Group,” sometime in the late 18th century. Zucchi was an Italian artist working in England, a place where the aristocracy liked to have images made of themselves and their families. This work gives us an intimate glimpse into the lives of the English elite during that period. The architecture and neoclassical style clothing are visual codes indicating the family’s wealth and status. Perhaps this tableau is a subtle critique of the aristocracy, who were perceived by some as self-indulgent. The art institutions of the time, like the Royal Academy, reinforced this social hierarchy. Historians of art can draw upon a range of documentary sources such as letters, diaries, and financial records to get a better understanding of the world in which artists like Zucchi operated. This helps us to view the art not as something separate from life, but as deeply embedded in the social and institutional contexts of its time.