Elena Balletti

Elena Balletti, Elena Riccoboni or Flaminia (27 April 1686 – 29 December 1771) was an Italian actress, poet, woman of letters, playwright and writer.[1][2]

Elena Balletti
Born27 April 1686
Ferrara
Died29 December 1771 (1771-12-30) (aged 85)
Paris
NationalityItalian
Other namesFlamina; Elena Riccoboni
Occupation(s)Actress, writer
SpouseLuigi Riccoboni
ChildrenAntoine-François Riccoboni

Personal life

Elena Virginia Balletti was born in Ferrara to a family of actors. Her parents were Francesco and Giovanna Benozzi, with the Francesco Calderoni company. She inherited the stage name Flaminia from her grandmother Agata Calderoni, as the name was passed down through the family. She was the second wife of the director of her theatre company, fellow actor Luigi Andrea Riccoboni. They were married in 1706. Their son was actor Antoine-François Riccoboni. Her brother Guiseppi Balletti remained in the company and travelled to France with her.[3][4][5][6][7]

Career

She learned Latin, Greek, Spanish and French and was considered culturally well educated. She was admitted to the Pontifical Academy of Arcadia as a poet. She wrote under the name Mirtinda Parraside. Balletti was also a member of the academies of Ferrara, Bologna and Venice. In Paris, Bellotti was known for her 'salons' and wrote with numerous writers such as Antonio Conti.[5][8][9][10][6][7][11]

Balletti and Riccoboni took their Italian theater company to France where she was the first to play Merope by Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei. Balletti was a renowned actress in Paris known by her character name of Flaminia. She gained recognition as a leading actress in Sofonisba by Giovan Giorgio Trissino, Semiramide by Muzio Manfredi and Iphigénie en Tauride by Pier Jacopo Martello.[12][6][7]

Balletti retired with her husband in 1729 however she returned to the stage on 10 April 1731 and stayed working until 1752. Balletti died in Paris in 1771.[8][13][6][7]

Bibliography
  • Sonnets by Mirtinda Parasside
  • Letters of Fanny Butler[5]
  • The Shipwreck, 1726[14]

References
  1. Peschke, Michael (2006). Enciclopedia Internacional de Pseud·ʼnimos: Nombres verdaderos. Parte I. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783598249617.
  2. "CERL Thesaurus". data.cerl.org.
  3. "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org.
  4. Anthony, James R. (2001). "Riccoboni, Luigi Andrea". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40806.
  5. Duchartre, Pierre Louis (16 November 2012). The Italian Comedy. Courier Corporation. ISBN 9780486138527.
  6. "BALLETTI, Elena Virginia in "Dizionario Biografico"". www.treccani.it (in Italian).
  7. Sand, Maurice (1915). The history of the harlequinade. Рипол Классик. ISBN 9785877909083.
  8. Walker, Joseph Cooper (1799). "Historical Memoir On Italian Tragedy, From The Earliest Period To The Present Time: Illustrated With Specimens And Analyses Of the Most Celebrated Tragedies; And Interspersed With Occasional Observations On The Italian Theatres; And Biographical Notices Of The Principal Tragic Writers Of Italy". Harding.
  9. Scott, Virginia (8 July 2010). Women on the Stage in Early Modern France: 1540–1750. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139491648.
  10. Casanova, Giacomo (22 May 1997). History of My Life. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801856631.
  11. "Elena Riccoboni (1686-1771)". data.bnf.fr.
  12. Heartz, Daniel (2004). From Garrick to Gluck: Essays on Opera in the Age of Enlightenment. Pendragon Press. ISBN 9781576470817.
  13. "Lettera della signora Elena Balletti Riccoboni".
  14. "Volume 4 – XVIIIe siècle | Théâtre de femmes de l'Ancien Régime" (in French).
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