Although Beatrice Ephrussi -Rothschild appears to have led a charmed life as the indulged daughter of Baron de Rothschild, there is (as is almost always the case) another side to her story. At age 19 she married a man much older than herself, Maurice Ephrussi.
He was a friend of her parents, an inveterate gambler his debts in 1904 totaled more than 12 million gold francs, the equivalent of 30 million euros today.
Early on in the marriage Beatrice caught a grave illness from Maurice which left her unable to bear children. They separated after being married for 21 years.
When her father died a year later she inherited a fortune which enabled her to build the beautiful Villa in Saint- Jean -Cap - Ferrat.
(Background information from our tour guide and the villa ephrussi website).
Joining Judith @Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday
At least there was good ending to this sad story! Very interesting. She had so much beauty to enjoy after the heartaches. Thank you for sharing this, Maggie!
ReplyDeleteJane xx
Maggie--
ReplyDeleteI'm always fascinated with the stories that provide the history of these amazing places-- I'd love to visit here:)
Beautiful photos!!
Love
Vicki
Just beautiful...I love this story.
ReplyDeleteThank you for allowing us to enjoy so much beauty and sights we would never see otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWealth certainly doesn't equal happiness, does it? I hope that she found peace in this beautiful home she had built. The walls are such a lovely pink colour.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad story but it seems to have ended with a rainbow of money and this villa...loved seeing more of it.
ReplyDeleteThe pink and white certainly do look nice with the architecture and landscaping. I'm glad the gambling ex-husband had no claim on the inheritance.
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking to Mosaic Monday.
What an interesting story and you've illustrated it beautifully. . .or maybe I should say your photos are stunning and what lovely words to go with them!
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful -- I'm glad you showed us more photos and also shared some of the background. It's fascinating!
ReplyDeleteIt's a stunning place and lovely to know some of the history, it would have been an amazing place to live. No wonder you visit often your photos make me want to visit too, wonderful garden.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week Maggie!
Wren x
How lovely. Mosaics are a wonderful way to share lots of beautiful photos. It does look like it would be a favorite place to visit! Hugs!
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