Anna Risi (14 July 1839 – 18 May 1900), nicknamed Nanna, was a popular Italian art model. She was a muse and mistress of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

painter

Anselm Feuerbach Anselm Feuerbach (12 September 1829 – 4 January 1880) was a German Painting, painter. He was the leading neoclassicism, neoclassical painter of the German 19th-century school. Biography Early life Feuerbach was born at Speyer, the son of ...

, 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 of Rome, Italy. It is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin (). Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lion on a red background, the meaning of which i ...

, a village neighborhood in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

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 Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and clas ...

, who would become the President of the

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

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 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 (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

and other notables, canonizing her forever. From there, Risi became the obsession of

, 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 depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

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

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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

Gallery

Painting

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

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

in ''Eine Römerin'' (''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 (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

in ''Medea mit dem Dolch'' (''Medea with the Dagger'') by Feuerbach File:Bildnis Nanna Risi - Ferdinand Keller - Augustiner M Freiburg.png, Risi as herself in ''Bildnis Nanna Risi'' (''Portrait of Nanna Risi'') by Ferdinand Keller

Sculpture

File:'A Young Woman of Trastévère' by Charles Cordier.JPG, ''A Young Woman of Trastevere, 25 Years'' by

Charles Cordier Charles Henri Joseph Cordier (19 October 1827 - 30 May 1905) was a French sculptor of ethnographic subjects. He is known for his polychrome sculptures in the later realist phase of Orientalism. Early life and education Cordier was born in Cam ...

circa 1858/1860 File:Beatrice Cenci Front by Hosmer.jpg, Risi as

Beatrice Cenci Beatrice Cenci ( , ; 6 February 157711 September 1599) was an Italian noblewoman imprisoned and repeatedly raped by her own father. She killed him, and was tried for murder. Despite outpourings of public sympathy, Cenci was beheaded in 1599 ...

in ''Beatrice Cenci'' by

Harriet Hosmer Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (October 9, 1830 – February 21, 1908) was a neoclassical sculptor, considered the most distinguished female sculptor in America during the 19th century. She is known as the first female professional sculptor. Among other ...

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 Kin ...