Anna Risi (1839 – 1900), nicknamed Nanna, was a popular Italian art model. She was a muse and mistress of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

painter

Anselm Feuerbach Anselm Feuerbach (12 September 1829 – 4 January 1880) was a German painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applie ...

, who admired her beauty so much that he painted her at least twenty times.

Biography

Risi was married to a cobbler and lived in

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th ''rione'' of Rome: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin ''trans Tiberim'', literally 'beyond the Tiber'. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lio ...

, a village neighborhood in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

with a history as working class. Her striking features caught the eye of various artists who came to the city for inspiration, and she modeled for a number of paintings and sculptures in her early 20s. But it wasn't until

Frederic Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...

, who would become the President of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, that her face became known to the world. Leighton's series of paintings of Risi caught the eye of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

and other notables, canonizing her forever. From there, Risi became the obsession of Anselm Feuerbach, who painted dozens of paintings of his muse and lover. By then, Risi had left her family and was living with the artist. Feuerbach and his family did much to improve Risi's circumstances and style, but the artist was irritable and suffered from

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

. Risi ran off with a "rich Englishman"...only to return to Feuerbach and beg forgiveness. He had a new muse, however, so he rejected her. “Yesterday her predecessor accosted me in greatly reduced circumstances,” he wrote, “But I merely waved to her from a distance." Today, Feuerbach's works of Risi are housed in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

."https://museum-wiesbaden.de/en/exhibitions/nanna/459"

Gallery

File:Anselm Feuerbach - Half-Length Portrait of a Roman Woman - Google Art Project.jpg, Risi depicted as

Vipsania Vipsania Agrippina (; 36 BC – 20 AD) was the first wife of the Emperor Tiberius. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Pomponia Caecilia Attica, thus a granddaughter of Titus Pomponius Atticus, the best friend of Cicero. Biogr ...

in ''A Roman Woman'' by Feuerbach File:Frederic Leighton - Pavonia.jpg, Risi as Pavonia in ''Pavonia'' by Leighton File:Medea mit dem dolche.jpg, Risi as

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

in ''Medea mit dem Dolch'' (''Medea with the Dagger'') by Feuerbach File:Anna Risi, the roman woman from Trastevere (1859), by Jean-Baptiste Clésinger.jpg, Sculpture of Risi by

Auguste Clésinger Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger (22 October 1814 – 5 January 1883) was a 19th-century French sculptor and painter. Life Auguste Clésinger was born in Besançon, in the Doubs department of France. His father, Georges-Philippe, was a scu ...

References

External links

ANNA RISI, LA ROMAINE TRANSTÉVERINE, 1859
bust of Risi by

Jean-Baptiste Clésinger Jean-Baptiste is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was King o ...

Italian female models 1839 births 1900 deaths 19th-century Italian women {{Model-stub

Biography

Gallery

See also

References

External links