# A Dancing Young Woman as Terpsichore

- By: Angelica Kauffmann (Swiss, 1741–1807)
- Date: c. 1780
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Overall: 91.5 x 70.8 cm (36 x 27 7/8 in.)
- Culture: England
- Credit line: Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/2025.3)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/cma/2025.3/2025.3_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This dancing figure was inspired by recently excavated wall paintings from the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum, during a period when neoclassical style was fashionable. Angelica Kauffmann was among the most important painters of the 1800s, achieving success for portraits and history subjects—a category dominated by men. Highly educated, Kauffmann was also an accomplished musician who had struggled to choose between a career in fine art or music.