Portrait of Angelina Rossi Hayez

Angelina Rossi Hayez (1841-1902), born in the province of Novara, adopted daughter of the great painter Francesco Hayez (who had adopted her in 1873 and remembers her in a letter of 1880 as a faithful companion in recent years) is here portrayed by Cesare Tallone in 1890 which, in the oval, takes up a portrait of the same Hayez who had depicted her in two paintings, donated along with other works by the artist to the Accademia di Brera. The house of Hayez, a very successful painter and beloved by the Milan of the time, is frequented by the best of artistic, literary and musical culture and Angelina is fortunate to be able to breathe the atmosphere of this environment so rich in stimuli and creativity. In the meantime he welcomed Marta Bina (1850-1939), an orphaned niece, into the house, treated like a relative by the Master, and who will stay with her aunt when Hayez died in 1882, helping her to keep his memory alive and not lose his artistic heritage: they donate canvases and memorabilia to the Academy of Brera, finance, with other admirers, his monument, they provide fundamental material for the drawing up of his "Memoirs". When Angelina died in 1902, Marta, who in the meantime added to her own the surname of the artist, left alone, gave Brera another 14 canvases, renouncing the usufruct that the Master had established in his favor on the 100,000 liras intended for Academy, asking for it to be used instead to help students with poor economic conditions. In his will he appoints his goddaughter, with various related benefits, including that of 50,000 lire for the Ospedale Maggiore, to which this portrait of Tallone is also sent. The commission of his commemorative portrait is entrusted to Oscar Sorgato.