ROSSI, BLANCHE DE,
The wife of Battista de la Porta, of Padua, was a noble, brave, and faithful woman. In 1237, during the war between the Guelfs and Ghibellines, she went with her husband, who was sent as commander of the forces to Bassano, to defend the city against the tyrant Ezzelino.
Blanche fought by the side of her husband in various skirmishes, and upon the walls of the city, and often took the place of his aid-de-camp, when the man was exhausted by his duty. When the city fell into the hands of the enemy by treachery, Battista was killed at the head of his soldiers, fighting to the last. Blanche, tied with cords, was dragged before the conqueror. The tyrant, inflamed by her beauty, offered her liberty and wealth if she would consent to make his house her home. She refused indignantly, and threw, herself out of the window, but, contrary to her expectation, she escaped unharmed, and was again brought before her enemy. She pretended to accept the tyrant's proposals, and made only one condition, that of seeing once more the body of her husband. The tyrant consented, and ordered his guards to accompany her to the grave. When they had arrived at it, and after the heavy stone had been removed, she jumped into the grave and caused the stone (o fall upon and crush her. Thus died the noble wife of Battista.
ROSSI, PROPERZIA DE.
It is uncertain when this illustrious artist was born, but various reasons induce us to fix the date towards 1495. The cities of Bologna and Modena still dispute the honour of having produced her; and such is the cloud that rests upon her early days, that it has never been ascertained who were her parents, and some have even been uncertain whether she was a married or single woman—whether the name of Rossi descended to her from a father, or was given by a husband. The latter doubt is entirely set to rest by Georgio Vasari, who, in his biography of celebrated artists, calls Properzia "a virtuous maiden, possessing every merit of her sex, together with science and learning all men may envy."
She began her progress in the arts by learning to draw of Rafmondi, but as the predilection of the age was for sculpture, she soon turned all her attention to that art. Many of her works are still extant and admired. In possession of the Grassi family, at Bologna, is a sculptured representation of our Saviour's passion, where eleven figures are introduced as spectators, each with a characteristic expression, and the whole carved on a peach-stone. She also assisted in the sculptures that adorn the three gates of the façade of St. Petroneus. There is also a very line figure, in marble, of Count Guido di Pepoli, unquestionably her production. She died February 24th., 1530, and Georgio Vasari thus writes:—"The lovely maiden was this day made perfect." All the Bolognese mourned her death, for she was considered a miracle of nature.
ROSTOPCHIN, COUNTESS,
Is esteemed highly in her own country as a graceful poetess. A collection of her poems was published at St. Petersburg in 1843, of this work a British critic observes,—"The Countess Rostopchin has given proof of very superior talent in this volume. Though
