Maria Zambaco (29 April 1843, London – 14 July 1914, Paris), born Marie Terpsithea Cassavetti ( el, Μαρία Τερψιθέα Κασσαβέτη, sometimes spelled Maria Tepsithia Kassavetti or referred to as Mary), was a British artist and model of Greek descent. She was favoured by the Pre-Raphaelites.

Early life

Maria was a daughter of wealthy Anglo-Hellenic merchant Demetrios Cassavetti (d.1858) and his wife Euphrosyne (1822–1896) and niece of the Greek Consul and noted patron

Alexander Constantine Ionides Alexander Constantine Ionides ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Ιωνίδης), also known as Konstantinos Ioannou or Iplixis (; 1 September 1810 – 10 November 1890) was a British art patron and collector, of Greek ancestry. Life Alexander Cons ...

. Maria and her cousins Marie Spartali Stillman and

Aglaia Coronio Aglaia Coronio (''née'' Ionides; 1834 – 20 August 1906, el, Αγλαΐα Κορωνιού) was a British embroiderer, bookbinder, art collector and patron of the arts. Of Greek descent, she was the elder daughter of businessman and art collec ...

were known collectively among friends as "the Three Graces", after the Charites of Greek mythology. After inheriting her father's fortune in 1858, she was able to lead a more independent life and was known to go unchaperoned while still unmarried.

Artistic life

Maria dedicated herself to art, and studied at the Slade School under

Alphonse Legros Alphonse Legros (8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist. He moved to London in 1863 and later took British citizenship. He was important as a teacher in the British etching rev ...

and under

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

in Paris. She worked as a sculptor in the 1880s, sharing studio space in Chelsea, London with Louise Jopling. The British Museum holds four of her medals that she donated, depicting the heads of young girls. British Museum holdings: Museum numbers- Medal 1 1887,1207.1, Medal 2 1887,0209.1 and Medals 3 and 4 1887,0209.2. She exhibited at 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 ...

in 1887 and the 1889 Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in London. She exhibited at the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

as well. Familiar within the circles of the Pre-Raphaelites for her dark red hair and pale skin, she did her most notable modelling for artist Edward Burne-Jones. She also sat as a model for

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...

and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Personal life

In 1860, she frightened off her first admirer, George du Maurier, who called her 'rude and unapproachable but of great talent and a really wonderful beauty'. Instead she married Dr Zambaco in 1860, initially living with him in France. She had a son and a daughter by him. The marriage was not a success and she moved back to live with her mother in London in 1866. Burne-Jones first met her in 1866, when her mother commissioned him to paint her as ''Cupid and Psyche'', and they had an affair which lasted until at least January 1869 and they stayed in contact after. In Georgiana Burne-Jones's ''The Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones'', the affair is not mentioned but the years 1868–1871 are described as 'Heart, thou and I here, sad and alone' (from John Keats's poem: ''Why Did I Laugh Tonight?''). In 1869, Edward Burne-Jones attempted to leave his wife for her, which caused a great scandal. Maria entreated him to commit suicide with her by

laudanum Laudanum is a tincture of opium containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight (the equivalent of 1% morphine). Laudanum is prepared by dissolving extracts from the opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum Linnaeus'') in alcohol (ethanol). Red ...

overdose by the canal in Little Venice and the police had to be called. After they broke up, Maria continued to appear in Burne-Jones' paintings as a

sorceress Sorceress or The Sorceress may refer to: * A female practitioner of supernatural magic Film * ''Sorceress'' (1982 film), a fantasy film directed by Jack Hill * ''Sorceress'' (1995 film), a fantasy film directed by Jim Wynorski Literature * S ...

or a temptress, such as in his last major work of her, '' The Beguiling of Merlin'' (1872–1877), and the controversial
Phyllis and Demophoön
' (1870), which was removed from display at the Royal Watercolour Society. Friends of the Burne-Jones family, such as

Rosalind Howard Rosalind Frances Howard, Countess of Carlisle (née Stanley; 20 February 1845 – 12 August 1921), known as ''The Radical Countess'', was a promoter of women's political rights and temperance movement activist. Family The Countess of Carlisle ...

, cut Maria socially.MacCarthy, Fiona, ''The Last Pre-Raphaelite'' (London: Faber & Faber, 2011), p. 217

Later life and death

She died in Paris in 1914 and her body was returned for interment in the family sarcophagus at the Greek Orthodox necropolis of the South Metropolitan Cemetery at Norwood, where she is recorded under her maiden name. Westnorcem2

Gallery

File:Edward Burne-Jones - Maria Zambaco - Profile Study - Google Art Project.jpg, Study by Edward Burne-Jones, 1866, Pastel on paper, 20.5 x 31.4 cm, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Image:Zambocco1.png, Portrait by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, c. 1870 Image:Zambaco burne jones study.jpg, Study by Edward Burne-Jones, c.1870 File:Edward Burne-Jones - Portrait of Maria Zambaco.jpg, ''Portrait of Maria Zambaco'', by Edward Burne-Jones, 1871 File:Rossetti 1967Ma103.jpg, ''Maria Theresa Zambaco'', Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1870, Pastel on paper, 100 x 72 cm, File:Edward Burne-Jones - Phyllis and Demophoon - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Phyllis and Demophoön In Greek mythology, Demophon (Ancient Greek: Δημοφῶν or Δημοφόων) was a king of Athens. Family According to Pindar, Demophon was the son of Theseus and Phaedra, brother of Acamas. Some say that Demophon's mother was Iope, daugh ...

'', by Edward Burne-Jones, 1870, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Image:Beguiling of Merlin.jpg, '' The Beguiling of Merlin'', by Edward Burne-Jones, 1872–1877, Lady Lever Art Gallery Image:Burnejones zambaco4.jpg, ''The Tree of Forgiveness'', by Edward Burne-Jones, 1882, Lady Lever Art Gallery Image:Zambaco medaillon.jpg, Medal, c. 1885, alloy, 11.5 cm, British Museum, Museum number 1887,0209.2

References