How an Italian model became the wife of a Russian artist (PHOTOS)
German, Danish and Russian artists and sculptors immortalized this Italian woman in over 100 depictions. The peasant woman by the name of Vittoria became the embodiment of "classical Italian beauty", one of the most famous models of the 19th century and the wife of a Russian artist.
Vittoria Caldoni was painted by celebrated artists Karl Bryullov, Alexander Ivanov and Ivan Shapovalov. However, they weren't the only ones captivated by her beauty. Historians suggest that she served as the prototype for the main character in Nikolai Gogol's novella ‘Annunziata’. And it was precisely her appearance that the Russian classic writer described as follows: "Try to look at lightning when, having split the coal-black clouds, it unbearably trembles with a flood of brilliance. Such are the eyes of the Alban Annunziata. Everything about her recalls those ancient times when marble came alive and sculptural chisels sparkled. <…> But, most wondrous of all is when she looks straight into one's eyes, bringing a chill and a sinking feeling to the heart."
At the age of 15, Roman peasant girl Caldoni (1805 - after 1876) was taken as a chambermaid by the husband of the Prussian ambassador. Thanks to her exquisite appearance, Vittoria made a great impression on the artists visiting the diplomat's home and soon became a popular model. The Italian beauty's fame was so great that even Goethe knew of her, while her portraits were kept in Bavarian King Ludwig I’s collection. The greatest number of images of Vittoria were created by German artist Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, who obsessively sought to accurately capture her features.
Susanna and the Elders
Despite her fame, Vittoria was distinguished by her rare modesty. She posed nude only once, in 1831, for Russian artist Grigory Lapchenko. The talented serf of Count Vorontsov had arrived in Rome the year before on a pensioner's trip with Alexander Ivanov. It was likely then that passion flared between the artist and the model, fully revealed in the painting ‘Susanna and the Elders’, which art historians consider the artist's magnum opus.
Apollo, Hyacinth and Cyparissus engaged in music and singing
The affair culminated in marriage in Fall 1839. Their love was so great that Vittoria even traveled with her failing husband to distant and cold Russia. Thanks to the patronage of Count Vorontsov, the family settled in Crimea, where their only son, Sergei, was born in 1841. Thanks to the efforts of poet Vasily Zhukovsky, the artist was also granted a pension and his painting ‘Girl with a Bread Basket’ was honored by being acquired by Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich.
The Lapchenkos. Family photo album
In the following years, the couple traveled to Europe several times, but always returned to Russia. Their final refuge was St. Petersburg, where Grigory Lapchenko died in 1876.
