Born: 1760, Greece
Died: 27 September 1836
Country most active: Italy
Also known as: Ελισάβετ Θεοτόκη
The following is excerpted from “400 Outstanding Women of the World and the Costumology of Their Time” by Minna Moscherosch Schmidt, published in 1933.
Famous Greek author — She was born in Corfu of an illustrious family. Very beautiful, but also, clever and well educated, she was married when she was only sixteen years old to a marine officer of Venice, Charles Marin, a well-known author of historical works. Her marriage was not harmonious and after great difficulties she succeeded in obtaining a divorce. Having married the Venitean count, Joseph d’Albrizzi, state inquisitor, she traveled all through Italy. Her beauty and talent brought her the friendship of the most eminent personalities of her epoch; Alfieri, Canova and Lord Byron were among her admirers. Her palazzo in Venice was a center of philology, poetry and fine arts, a place of pilgrimage for her countrymen and all illustrious men of her time including Villoison, Chateaubriand, Prince Ludwig, afterwards King of Bavaria and Lord Guilford. Thomas Moore, in one of his letters calls her “Madame de Stael of Greece.” The fame of her writings was universal. The most important of her works are: The Ritratti, a series of portraits of the distinguished men of her time. Opera di Sculture e di Rustic a di Antonio Canqva in four volumes, a study of this artist’s sculptures. Her beauty was immortalized by the famous sculptor Canova, in his marble work representing Hellena. The well known painter, Mlle. Vigee Lebrun, painted her portrait which is now in Corfo, belonging to the family of Theotokis. She died in Venice.