Clara Maffei
Encyclopedia
Elena Clara Antonia Carrara Spinelli (13 March 1814, Bergamo
– 13 July 1886, Milan
, of meningitis
) was an Italian woman of letters and backer of the Risorgimento, usually known by her married name of countess Clara Maffei or Chiarina Maffei.
- they separated by mutual consent on 15 June 1846. She had a long and lasting relationship with Carlo Tenca
.
She is well-known for the salon
she hosted in via dei Tre Monasteri in Milan
, known as the "Salotto Maffei". Starting in 1834 and organised by Tommaso Grossi
and Massimo d'Azeglio, it attracted several well-known literati, artists, scholars, composers and pro-Risorgimento figures to meet to discuss art and literature. These included Alessandro Manzoni
, Francesco Hayez
(who painted a portrait of Clara which he then gave to her husband), Giuseppe Verdi
and Giovanni Prati
.
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
– 13 July 1886, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, of meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
) was an Italian woman of letters and backer of the Risorgimento, usually known by her married name of countess Clara Maffei or Chiarina Maffei.
Life
At 17 years old she married Andrea MaffeiAndrea Maffei
Andrea Maffei was an Italian poet, translator and librettist.-Life:Maffei was born in Molina di Ledro, Trentino.A follower of Vincenzo Monti, he formed part of the 19th century Italian classicist literary culture. Gaining laurea in jurisprudence, he moved for some years to Verona, then to Venice...
- they separated by mutual consent on 15 June 1846. She had a long and lasting relationship with Carlo Tenca
Carlo Tenca
Carlo Tenca was an Italian man of letters, journalist, deputy and supporter of Risorgimento. He was the prime-mover in the Salon of countess Clara Maffei, to whom he was romantically linked....
.
She is well-known for the salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
she hosted in via dei Tre Monasteri in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, known as the "Salotto Maffei". Starting in 1834 and organised by Tommaso Grossi
Tommaso Grossi
Tommaso Grossi , Lombard poet and novelist, was born in Bellano, beside the Lake of Como.He took his degree in law at Pavia in 1810, and proceeded thence to Milan to exercise his profession; but the Austrian government, suspecting his loyalty, interfered with his prospects, and in consequence...
and Massimo d'Azeglio, it attracted several well-known literati, artists, scholars, composers and pro-Risorgimento figures to meet to discuss art and literature. These included Alessandro Manzoni
Alessandro Manzoni
Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Manzoni was an Italian poet and novelist.He is famous for the novel The Betrothed , generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature...
, Francesco Hayez
Francesco Hayez
Francesco Hayez was an Italian painter, the leading artist of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan, renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories and exceptionally fine portraits.-Biography:...
(who painted a portrait of Clara which he then gave to her husband), Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
and Giovanni Prati
Giovanni Prati
Giovanni Prati was an Italian poet born in what then was part of the Austrian Empire and educated in law at Padua...
.
External links
- Raffaello Barbiera, Il salotto della contessa Maffei, Milano, Treves, 1895
- www.url.it
- Article on Clara Maffei in Corriere