Teresa Landucci Bandettini (also known by her Arcadian name Amarilli Etrusca; 11 August 1763 – 6 April 1837) was an Italian dancer, composer of extemporaneous verse, and poet, who is remembered as the ''Figurante Poetesca'' ("literary

ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

").

Life

Born in 1763 to Benedetto Bandettini and Maria Alba Micheli in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

in the city of

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

, Bandettini came from a humble background. She was an orphan by the age of seven and was first heard of as a dancer using the name "Amarilli Etrusca".Bandettini, Teresa (1763-1837)
Margaret E. Kern, 2002, University of Chicago, retrieved 24 February 2014 After Bandettini married Lucchese Pietro Landucci, whom she had met in

Imola Imola (; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical region Romagna ...

in 1789, her career shifted from dancing to improvisation. Her specialty was to create and deliver verse on the spot from random suggestions supplied by an audience willing to pay to witness her emotional delivery and the creative process. Bandettini's talents led to her finding a patron in Count Ludovico Savioli. He paid for an early poem concerning the "Death of Adonis" to be not only printed but to be illustrated by

Francesco Rosaspina Francesco Rosaspina (2 January 1762 – 2 September 1841) was an Italian engraver and painter. Biography Rosaspina was born in Montescudo, near Rimini. His father, Giovanni Battista, was a notary and a magistrate by profession. As an infant, his ...

. Bandettini was a composer of extemporaneous verse, and a poet. Not surprisingly with her dancing background, she was known as the literary ballerina (Figurante Poetesca). Although there were two publications of her improvised verses published in 1801 and 1807, Bandettini preferred to publish poetry that she had spent more time composing.

Legacy

Within Bandettini's lifetime she was acknowledged as an important writer. The noted Italian poet

Maria Maddalena Morelli Maria Maddalena Morelli Fernandez (17 March 1727, Pistoia – 8 November 1800, Florence), also known by the Arcadian pseudonym Corilla Olimpica, was a Florentine Italian poet, ''improvisatrice'', and musician. The official poetess to the grand ...

, also known as ''Corilla Olimpica'', dedicated some of the last of her poetry to Bandettini. There are a number of paintings of Bandettini including an oil by

Angelica Kauffman Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss people, Swiss Neoclassicism, Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered prima ...

. Kauffman was a member of the Italian literary Society known as the

Arcadian Academy The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", is an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History Found ...

. Kauffman respected Bandettini skills, and created the portrait which she gave to her in 1794. In 2002 it was discovered that the young composer

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; ; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices ...

had dedicated six long lost sonatas to her. She died in Lucca in 1837.

Partial works

References

* Emilio De Tipaldo, ''Biografia degli italiani illustri'', Tipografia di Alvisopoli, Venezia, 1837 * E. Castreca Brunetti, ''Aggiunta alla Bibl. Femm. Ital. di P L. Ferri'', Roma, 1844 * Verona, ''Donne Illustri d'Italia'', Colombo, Milano, 1864 * Maria Bandivi Buti, ''Enciclopedia Biografica e Bibliografica Italiana'', Ist. Ed. It., 1941–1942 * Greco, ''Biblioteca Femminile Italiana del XIX Secolo'', Venezia, 1875 * N. Costa Zalessow, ''Scrittrici italiane dal XIII al XX secolo. Testi e critica'', Longo 1982 * M. Zaccan, ''Figure di Donne in Alcuni Testi del XVI Secolo'', Appendici III, Venezia 1983 * Alberto Macchi, ''Irene Parenti, atto unico teatrale tra realtà e ipotesi'' (Note), AETAS, Roma 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandettini, Teresa 1763 births 1837 deaths Italian women poets Italian female dancers Italian ballerinas 18th-century Italian ballet dancers 19th-century Italian ballet dancers 18th-century Italian women composers 19th-century Italian women Members of the Academy of Arcadians People from Lucca Grand Duchy of Tuscany people 18th-century Italian women writers