Chiara Spinelli (1744-1823),[1] later the Princess of Belmonte, was an Italian noblewoman and artist, especially noted as a pastellist.[2]
Spinelli was born in Naples, the daughter of Troiano, the ninth Duke of Laurino, who also published in philosophy.[1] In 1762 she married Antonio Francesco Pignatelli, the prince of Belmonte, becoming his second wife.[3] He died in 1794.[4] She was also the mistress of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies.
She took part in the revolution which led to the creation of the Parthenopean Republic in 1799; at its collapse she was exiled to France.[5] Even after her exile she remained involved in political intrigue, and was noted by French police as one of the Neapolitan exiles who were part of a conspiracy plotting to invade and overtake Naples.[6]
A self-portrait by Spinelli is held in the collection of the Uffizi in Florence; it was originally displayed alongside those of Irene Parenti Duclos and Anna Borghigiani.[7]
Spinelli was also an active patron of arts and literature; she hosted a salon, and sponsored composers such as Niccolo Piccinni. [8]
References edit
- ^ a b Fortune, Jane; Falcone, Linda (2010). Invisible Women. TheFlorentinePress. ISBN 978-88-902434-5-5.
- ^ Recca, Cinzia (2016-11-25). The Diary of Queen Maria Carolina of Naples, 1781-1785: New Evidence of Queenship at Court. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-31987-2.
- ^ PhD, Joseph Morley DC (2023-10-10). The Montagutesi: From Feudalism to Freedom (in Danish). BookLocker.com, Inc. ISBN 979-8-88531-493-0.
- ^ Croce, Benedetto (1912). La rivoluzione napoletana del 1799: biografie, racconti, ricerche (in Italian). G. Laterza & figli.
- ^ Profile at the Dictionary of Pastellists Before 1800.
- ^ Brice, Catherine (2020-08-27). Exile and the Circulation of Political Practices. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5275-5877-9.
- ^ Piero Pacini, Le Sedi dell'Accademia del Disegno: al "Cestello" e al "Crocetta" (Florence: Leo S. Olschki, 2001), p. 248
- ^ A Companion to Early Modern Naples. BRILL. 2013-05-24. ISBN 978-90-04-25183-0.
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