In 1788/89 Herder travelled from Weimar to Rome, where he met Duchess Anna Amalia with her small entourage. He just missed Goethe, but soon became friends with the poet’s close acquaintance Angelica Kauffmann. Herder admired the painter for her art as well as her cultivation and her gift of fine sensitivity. The friendly relationship between the two is mirrored also in the portrait, which emphasizes Herder’s alert, friendly expression without any imposing attitude.