This early 20th-century German oil painting depicts the ‘Nun of Monza’, Sister Virginia Maria, staring longingly through a cell window while in prayer. It’s a fictionalised depiction based upon a true story, which shocked Italy in the 17th century.

Born Marianna de Leyva (1575-1650), Sister Virginia Maria was incarcerated in a monastery by her father at the age of 13. She was due to inherit a fortune following her mother’s death, but her imprisonment led to her father receiving the inheritance instead.

She remained at the monastery for a decade, taking her vows and working as a teacher at the convent’s school for girls. Resigning herself to a life of devotion and locked away from the world at large. However, during her time at the school, when 23, she was charmed by the charismatic Count Giovanni Paolo Osio, a controversial scoundrel who’d been accused of murder. The Count lived in a palace next door and, from his vantage point, could observe the nuns in the courtyard. An engraving by Francesco Gonin from 1840, portrays him as quite a ‘character’,

Intrigued by his attention, Sister Virginia Maria corresponded with him via surreptitious letters carefully lowered from a window. And soon, following his sensitive musings, and with the assistance of two nuns, the pair began their secret liaisons. These forbidden tête-à-têtes continued for ten years, during which time two children were born. The first, a son, died upon birth and the second, a daughter, survived and was subsequently acknowledged by Osio as his own.

In a twist befitting a Shakespearean tragedy, one of the nuns, having learnt of the child, began blackmailing the Count, demanding money for her silence. He duly paid but she continued to ask - prompting the Count, under pressure of societal shame, to kill her. An act that led to his own imprisonment. Sister Virginia Maria, clearly traumatised, spent the rest of her life in a cell but with all privileges removed.

This theatrical tale of love, lust, secrecy, shame and murder, has inspired numerous artists over the centuries, with  Gustav Adolf Kuntz (1843-1879) producing his interpretation in 1876. His piece titled ‘Greetings From The World’ was soon housed at the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden, which authorised several official copies, of which this is one. In our view, it’s finer than the original.

Signed ‘M von Watzdorf’ and held in a later frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 19” x 30” / 49cm x 76cm
Year of creation: c. 1910
Labels & Inscriptions: On the reverse, a stamp explains that it’s a copy of the original at the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden. During the late 19th/early 20th century, officials at the Gemäldegalerie authorised copies of numerous works in its collection. 
Provenance: Private collection, Sweden.
Condition: Cleaned. Frame in excellent condition.
Our reference: BRV1876