Rosina Ferrara grins through a break in her dark tumbling hair as she looks back at us flirtatiously from the summer of 1878. She lives on the isle of Capri where she remains forever 16, immortalized on the canvases of John Singer Sargent. He was 22, in search of inspiration during that formative summer, with hopes for a brilliant career ahead.
Sargent wrote about Rosina Ferrara and her friends in his diary:
“A pale pink twilight wrapped them like a surreal veil. It wasn’t; it’s just the magic of Capri doing what it does.”
Rosina Ferrara’s grace, daring spirit and natural beauty inspired him and many other artists who visited Capri. He could not have imagined how she would propel his future career.
Capri Offered Paradise To Hopeful Artists
The small Isle of Capri sits in the Gulf of Naples, off the southwestern coast of the boot of Italy. It’s a hardscrabble place to which history of invaders has been brutal. Still, the idyllic island is known for sparkling turquoise water, deep rocky lagoons, white limestone cliffs, villas and ancient ruins.Today, Capri is a target destination for the rich and famous. In the 1800s, it was an unspoiled heaven for dreamers, artists, writers, musicians and explorers.
John Singer Sargent Sought Summer Inspiration
Born in Florence, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) traveled Europe with his family for most of his childhood. By the summer of 1878, he had completed his studies at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and worked under famed painter Carolus Duran. He won accolades at his debut in the 1877 Paris Salon with his portrait of Fanny Watts.
At 22, Sargent went off on a working holiday to Capri. He stayed at the village of Anacapri with other artists also seeking inspiration from the natural beauty of the island. He wanted to explore landscapes with a human model.
It was a chance meeting with English painter, Frank Hyde that set the stage for the incredible summer to come. Hyde (1849-1937) had been on the island for some time. With his knowledge of the locals he brought Sargent his favorite model. She was Rosina Ferrara.
Hotel Pagano Offered The Perfect Summer Studio
Opening in 1822, the Pagano Hotel was the oldest hotel in Capri.Positioned near the town square the Pagano was a magnet for foreign artists. Frank Hyde lived in one of its flats with an ocean view. He convinced John Sargent to take lodging there for his summer.
John Matthews of Capri: Life, Death And Miracles writes:
“Sargent had found the Capri hideaway where artists from half the world lived their boundless lives in art and for art, suspended in a timeless dimension, one of ecstatic visions of what the island offered. They led the simple lives of poor artists.” (Naplesldm)
Hyde also shared his art studio with Sargent. It was positioned above the hotel, along the trail that led to an old castle in ruins. In 1500 it was the monastery of the Most Sacred Savior.
“… artists such as Frank Hyde set up ateliers in a few rooms, rooms filled with light and inspiration. They met there, painted, and shared their stories.” (Naplesldm)
It was here that Hyde introduced Sargent to his favorite local girl, Rosina Ferrara. She worked as a model to make extra income for her family.
“This was in spite of the warning by the parish priest of Santo Stefano, don Salvatore, that modeling was evidence that our moral fiber was breaking down and clearly that Satan himself, the Devil, was among these newcomers to Capri.” (Naplesldm)
Fortunately for Sargent, Rosina Ferrara did not heed the warnings. Sargent was instantly inspired.
Who Was Sargent’s Muse?
According to records from the Documentation Center For The Island of Capri, Rosina Ferrara was born January 19, 1862. She Ferrara was the youngest daughter of Bartolomeo, a fisherman, and Maria, from a town near Sorrento where she lived with her parents and siblings in a house near the church of San Costanzo.
Rosina was a seamstress like her mother. She earned a living weaving silk hair ribbons for export to Naples. The opportunity to model would have provided significant additional income. She learned the language of the French painters who were the first for whom she modeled.
Rosina Ferrara, then just 16, became Sargent’s preferred model that summer. With Arabian facial features, nut-brown skin, crow-black hair many believe she was a descendant of pirates.
Over the course of his stay, Sargent painted and sketched at least a dozen works featuring the captivating young woman Rosina Ferrara. It is widely believed that the two had a physical affair during this time. But Sargent was extremely private regarding his personal life.
According to the John Singer Sargent site, because he never married or had children, some speculate that he was bi- or homosexual.
“Sargent was extremely private regarding his personal life, although the painter Jacques-Émile Blanche, who was one of his early sitters, said after his death that Sargent’s sex life “was notorious in Paris, and in Venice, positively scandalous…” (John Singer Sargent.org)
We might never know the nature of the relationship between Sargent and Ferrara. But we can see from his paintings that their time together was exuberant, intense and sensual. Most importantly, it resulted in works that enthrall viewers to this day.
Capri Paintings Elevated Sargent’s Future Career
The ultimate exotic muse, Rosina Ferrara led Singer Sargent from his formal studies in traditional academic painting into his unique expressive style during the summer of 1878.
Christie’s writes that it was:
“…a pivotal formative period in Sargent’s career as he transitioned from his training in the Paris studio of Carolus-Duran towards a career as an internationally acclaimed society painter. “ (Christie’s)
Sargent’s paintings of Rosina Ferrara won him international exposure and major exhibition successes.
In 1879, A Capriote xwas shown at the Society of American Artists in New York. It captures a sunset moment of Rosina Ferrara dancing on a rooftop. She’s doing the tarantella, a traditional folk dance associated with courtship, to the beat of a tambourine.
Christie’s writes:
“Capri is one of John Singer Sargent’s earliest masterpieces, the radical composition and technical brilliance of the work a triumphant display of the young artist’s mastery over light.”
Sargent wrote in his diary:
“A pale pink twilight wrapped them like a surreal veil. It wasn’t; it’s just the magic of Capri doing what it does. On one of the white roofs of the hotel, a young woman moved with extreme lightness, moving her sinuous body and long arms to the steps of the dance. The dark sound of a large tambourine echoed in the air, played by another woman seated and leaning against one of the characteristic chimneys of the island. Then came the Tarascone, a dance from the dawn of time. More than a dance, it’s a ritual in which the drum is the voice of God.
“The rhythm of the drum and the steps of the dancer conserve intact the mystery of a vital force passed by oral tradition on the island. It is the moon, herself, the high priestess of this primordial ritual, looking timidly down over the hills of the Semaphore, sprinkled with a dark green broken only by the white of a few houses.
Among the Olive Trees, Capri (Dans Les Oliviers à Capri) appeared at the prestigious Paris Salon in 1879.
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