| Maria Cristina (1787-1851) |
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Font Size   Maria Cristina was born in Turin on 17th May 1787. She was the first-born and first daughter of Celestino and Raffaella Ferrero della Marmora. Her godparents were her uncle Filippo Ferrero della Marmora and Marchioness Morozzo. As she was the eldest daughter, Maria Cristina helped her mother to look after the younger children and assisted her during the last years of her life. This leading role earned her the respect and consideration of the entire family who nicknamed her Perfect. Keen on drawing and art, Maria Cristina turned her home in Turin into a salon for artists which is probably where she met Pietro Ayres, the artist to whom she commissioned the big family portrait painted in 1828. The painting belonged to her until her death in 1851 when she left it to her brother Carlo Emanuele. Maria Cristina took with her to the tomb the family memories of the time of French rule and it was this which spurred her brother Edoardo to take steps to ensure that no further family memories were lost. |