Eva Callimachi-Catargi

Eva Calimachi-Catargiu (May 10, 1855 - May 29, 1913) was a Parisian heiress known for being the subject of two paintings by Henri Fantin-Latour.

Early life

Eva was born on May 10, 1855, in Paris. Her father Nicolae Calimachi-Catargiu was a Romanian politician who came from a prominent Boyar family. Marie Grazia Caroline Richardot. Eva's maternal grandparents were Charles Richardot, a Frenchman, and Eva Levie de Niem, who was of Dutch and Jewish descent.

Personal life

Eva immersed herself into the art scene of Paris during the Belle Époque period, and modeled various works of art most famously two paintings by Henri Fantin-Latour Drawing lessons in the workshop (1879) and Portrait of Eva Calimachi-Catargiu (1881). Eva was a personal friend of Henri and many talented artists of the time including composer Ernest Chausson, and sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Eva married Alexandre de Basily on April 10, 1882, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Together they had two children:

• Nicolas de Basily (March 4, 1883 - March 20, 1963) was a Russian diplomat. He married Tatiana Hall in 1905, they had a son Alexandre de Basily (1906-1926). He married a second time to Lascelle Jean Meserve in 1919.
• Louis Constantin de Basily (December 21, 1888 - September 13, 1931)

The couple would divorce in 1909 and both continued to reside in Paris after divorcing and never remarried. Eva passed away in Paris on May 29, 1913.

Eva's son, Nicolas, inherited her art collection. Nicolas's death in 1963 and his widow Lascelle Jean Meserve donated his family including personal notes and to Stanford University, and The Hoover Institution founded The Nicolas de Basily Room a permanent exhibit on Russian culture.