Princess Norina Matchabelli (born Eleanora Erna Cecilia Gilli; 3 March 1881 – 15 June 1957) was co-founder of the perfume company

Prince Matchabelli Prince Matchabelli is a perfume line, first designed by Prince Georges V. Matchabelli who was an amateur chemist. Matchabelli was born in Georgia within the Russian Empire but when the Czarists fell Georgia seceded. From 1918 until 1921 Georgia wa ...

, a stage and screen actress, publisher, and a disciple of Indian spiritual teacher

Meher Baba Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spirituality, spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following o ...

. Her stage name was Maria Carmi.

Acting career as Maria Carmi

Gilli was born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Italy, the daughter of confectioner Luigi Gilli, originally from

Samedan Samedan (, locally ) is a town and municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Maloja Region in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Grisons. It is served by Samedan railway station on the Rhaetian Railway network and ...

, and his wife Emma Troll from

Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...

. She was the youngest of five children and spent her youth in Florence and Fiesole. She began her stage career at Max Reinhardt's acting school at the Deutsches Theater and belonged to his company from 1907 to 1909. Under the stage name Maria Carmi, she played in Italian and German theater and in silent films. Her most notable performance was as the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

in the original spectacle-pantomime play '' The Miracle'' written by

Karl Vollmöller Karl Gustav Vollmöller (or Vollmoeller; 7 May 1878 – 18 October 1948) was a German philologist, archaeologist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and aircraft designer. He is most famous for the elaborate religious spectacle-pantomime '' The Mir ...

whom she married in 1904. The play was originally produced in Germany. It opened in London on 23 December 1911 at the Olympia Arena. On 23 December 1923 it was revived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

, then went on a tour of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

and

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. In the New York version she alternated nightly with

Lady Diana Manners Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners; 29 August 1892 – 16 June 1986) was an English silent film actress and aristocrat who was a well-known social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman, she ...

, another international beauty of the period. In all Norina gave over 1,000 performances of the play.

Princess and perfume

After divorcing Vollmöller, Norina married in 1917 Georges V. Matchabelli, the Georgian prince, member of the House of Matchabelli and a diplomat, in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. Georges was the Georgian ambassador to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

until the 1921 Bolshevik takeover of Georgia, and lived 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, ...

. The couple moved to the United States in 1923. Georges was an amateur

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and with Norina co-founded the now-famous perfume company ''

'' in 1926. In 1933, the couple divorced. Georges died in 1935 and in 1936 Norina sold the company to Saul Ganz for $250,000 .

Meher Baba

In 1931 Matchabelli met spiritual teacher

and became a devotee. She introduced many notable figures of the day to Meher Baba including

Gabriel Pascal Gabriel Pascal (born Gábor Lehel; 4 June 1894 – 6 July 1954) was a Hungarian film producer and director whose best-known films were made in the United Kingdom. Pascal was the first film producer to successfully bring the plays of Georg ...

Mercedes de Acosta Mercedes de Acosta (March 1, 1892 – May 9, 1968) was an American poet, playwright, and novelist. Although she failed to achieve artistic and professional distinction, de Acosta is known for her many lesbian affairs with celebrated Broadway and ...

and

(her first husband). She also founded the periodical ''Meher Baba Journal'' in 1938. In the early 1940s Matchabelli co-founded the

Meher Spiritual Center Meher Spiritual Center is a Universalism, universal Retreat (spiritual), spiritual retreat and religious site located in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Center adjacent to Briarcliffe Acres, South Carolina, Briarcliffe Acres was co-founded ...

with Elizabeth Chapin Patterson in

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the "Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...

, U.S. In the 1940s Norina Matchabelli gave a series of well-attended public talks in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

and other places in which she said she was delivering "thought-transmission" messages directly from Meher Baba. When speaking, the personal "I" switched to "I, Meher Baba." This startled some of Meher Baba's followers and they questioned Baba on it in India, but he did not appear concerned.

Death

Norina Matchabelli died at Youpon Dunes,

, in 1957, aged 77. Her ashes were interred close by Meher Baba's samadhi on

Meherabad Meherabad is a universal spiritual retreat in Arangaon village about , south of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India. It is home to Indian Spiritual Master Meher Baba's Samadhi Mandir. Meherabad was originally established as an ashram by Meher Ba ...

Hill, near

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost impre ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Her grave marker bears the inscription: ''Princess Norina was and will ever remain Baba's''.Meher Baba Trust Website
avatarmeherbaba.org; accessed 7 August 2014.

Filmography

*1912: '' The Miracle'' *1914: ''Eine venezianische Nacht'' *1914: ''L'Accordo in minore'' *1914: '' Lost in the Dark'' *1915: '' Teresa Raquin'' *1915: ''Fluch der Schönheit'' *1915: ''Der Hermelinmantel'' *1915: ''Die rätselhafte Frau'' *1915: ''Sophias letztes Gesicht'' *1916: ''Das Wunder der Madonna'' *1916: ''Für den Ruhm des Geliebten'' *1916: ''Aphrodite'' *1916: ''

Homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person", : homunculi , , ) is a small human being. Popularized in 16th-century alchemy and 19th-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has root ...

, Teil I'' *1916: ''

, Teil IV - Die Rache des Homunculus'' *1916: ''Der Pfad der Sünde'' *1916: ''Der Letzte eines alten Geschlechts'' *1916: ''Die Richterin von Solvigsholm'' *1916: ''Das Haus der Leidenschaften'' *1916: ''Der Fluch der Sonne'' *1917: '' The Path of Death'' *1917: '' When the Dead Speak'' *1917: ''Die Memoiren der Tragödin Thamar'' *1917: ''Rächende Liebe'' *1918: ''Das Spitzentuch der Fürstin'' *1920: ''Per il passato'' *1921: ''Forse che si, forse che no''

References

External links

Maria Carmi
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

*
Stage presence as Maria Carmi

* ttp://www.meherbabatravels.com/his-close-ones/women/norina-matchabelli/ Photos at meherbabatravels.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Matchabelli, Norina 1880 births 1957 deaths Italian stage actresses Italian silent film actresses 20th-century Italian actresses Women mystics Followers of Meher Baba Businesspeople from Florence Italian emigrants to the United States Actresses from Florence