attracted his notice; he obtained an introduction to her, courted her, at length fascinated her, and after a brief delay they were married. Shortly after the marriage, a terrible truth came to light: the pretended count was no count at all, but an imposter, a scoundrel who had formerly been in the service of a nobleman bearing the name and title which he had assumed.
For a time his unfortunate wife was overwhelmed by the shame and horror of this discovery. She left him at once, and, at length, thanks to the exertions of Sir Joshua and other influential friends, the marriage was annulled. She gradually recovered from the shock, and devoted herself with increased earnestness to her art, encouraged and assisted by Reynolds. It was probably due to him that her name is found among the signatures to the famous petition to the king for the establishment of the Royal Academy. In its first catalogue her name appears, followed by the "R. A.," and she contributed four classical compositions, one representing the Parting of Hector and Andromache. The honor of membership she shared with one other lady, Mary Moser. From this time she was an annual contributor to the Academy, sending occasionally as many as seven pictures, usually upon classical or allegorical subjects. In 1778 she exhibited one of her most noted productions, representing Leonardo da Vinci expiring in the arms of Francis the First. Previous to this she had been, with others, appointed by the Academy to the honorable task of decorating St. Paul's, and it was she who, in concert with Beaggio Rebecca, painted the Academy's old lecture-room at Somerset House.
In 1781, after the death of her first husband, she was again married, this time happily. The man of her choice was Antonio Zucchi, a Venetian landscape painter then living in England, where his works met with much favor.
