Marino di Bambini
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This character is currently retired.
Contents |
Short Stats
- Character Name: Marino di Bambini
- Title: illegitimate son of an English noble
- Estate Name: /
- Nationality: Italian (Florentine)
- Age: 24
- Gender: Male
- Eye Colour: Black
- Hair Colour: Brown
Physical Attributes
A handsome young man standing at 5'8", of lean but not particularly muscular build. He has long brown hair and a pencil-thin moustache and goatee. His ever wandering inquisitive gaze reveals him as an acutely perceptive and intelligent man, with an eye for noticing details (given his chosen profession, it's no wonder). A slight tan gives him something of a swarthy, exotic look, which only adds to his naturally attractive appearance. From his unknown noble father he inherited a distinguished nose.
Initial Impression of Personality
An attractive young man, possessing that strange sexual magnetism artists are often known for. His relaxed manner, by courtly standards quite plain clothes, cheerful character and heavy Italian accent reveal him quickly as a commoner and a foreigner.
Background
Marino was born on March 3rd, 1651 in Florence. His father was an English viscount from Lancashire who was at the time living in comfortable exile in Italy. His mother was Maria di Bambini, a peasant girl from the village of Bambini near Florence who worked as a waitress in a Florentine inn and tavern. As an illegitimate child, he was a social outcast, growing up among the poor of the city, and was nicknamed "il Bastardino" by the other children. His mother had told him about who his father was, and young Marino had an intense desire to travel to the faraway land and find him.
At age 11 he started working as a servant boy in the household of one Massimo di Pietri, a man of letters, humanist, poet and engineer who noted the boy's natural inquisitiveness and intelligence and tutored him in Latin, French, reading, writing and basic arithmetic. Marino displayed a knack for languages, learning Latin and the basics of French relatively easily. He also began to show an affinity for drawing and painting.
At age 14 he became an apprentice to Baldassare Francheschini, a painter in Florence, displaying an innate talent for painting which even surpassed that of his tutor, but also proving to be a very difficult and unruly student. Marino grew into a handsome young man, turning the heads (and lifting the skirts) of a number of Florentine girls, ranging from common servant girls to noblemen's daughters. He also did some work for the local nobility, painting frescoes and portraits for the villas of the marchese di Farina and of the conte di Assandri. An incident involving the latter, when the furious conte caught him in bed with his only daughter, led to Marino's hasty departure from Florence in 1668.
He travelled across Italy, going first to Rome where he met noted Baroque painter Salvator Rosa. He then moved to Venice, where he painted several portraits for wealthy aristocrats and gained some notoriety as a talented and innovative painter, a man who, in the words of one of Serenissima's senators, paints paintings so filled with life that they practically move before your eyes.
The aforementioned senator's wife also appreciated Marino's work, in more ways than one, and after the discovery of his affair he was again forced to flee, this time leaving for France. There he found himself under the patronage of Jean-Baptiste Roy, comte de Falaise, a rural noble from Provence, painting some extremely flattering portraits of him and his family. The count took him along to Versailles, where he had limited success in attracting the attention of other courtiers. He spent his days in and around Paris the usual way, chasing skirts, losing his hard-earned in bassett, drinking and carousing. In 1673, a Catholic Irish trader named Ian Burke, who had been living in France since the end of the English Civil War, commissioned a series of portraits of his family from Marino. During the process of painting portraits of the Irish family of 8, he learned the English language, though not quite perfectly.
In early 1675, he felt ready to finally make the trip to England. And so, carrying not much aside from a modest sum of money and the tools of his trade, Marino sailed across the channel, hoping to find his father, but also fame, fortune, wine, women and song in the kingdom of England.
Recess 1
Marino had successfully accomodated himself in London after his arrival. Although he had come near the end of the social season, he managed to get the eye of several nobles and obtain a number of lucrative commissions. The following months brought money and continued success, but also had their darker side.
He spent most of June working on a massive painting for Captain Morgan, trying to infuse the epic portrayal of a battle on the ship's deck with as much energy and tension as possible. The sailors resented posing on the ship in the searing summer temperatures for days on end, but in the end, it was worth it. The painting, a masterful baroque piece, was perhaps his finest work yet, and well worth the price paid. Captain Morgan, painted as a hulking demi-god in the process of skewering a dastardly Don, was exquisitely pleased with the oeuvre, which Marino had named "The Courage Of Captain Morgan", and set sail for Jamaica at the end of the summer.
His next patron was the Earl of Mulgrave, for whom he had painted a rather flattering portrait the next month. He was introduced to a variety of nobles by the Earl. His competent work and amiable personality gained him some reputation among the English aristocracy as well. As a reward for his good work (and transparent flattery) he was given the chance to attend the Newmarket races with the Earl, and there he made a series of sketches depicting horses in full gallop, which he hoped to some day turn into a series of dynamic, exciting paintings.
Throughout the summer, he maintained contact with Lady Preston and Mary-Anne, visiting the Anglo-French family on several occasions. He was yet to meet Viscount Preston himself. He was a welcome guest at their household, and painted a small portrait of Mary-Anne as a gift to the girl.
All was not going perfectly for him, though, and his fickle and lackadaisical character showed through once again. Although he was able to acquire a significant sum of money (for a commoner and an artist, in any case), he was not very good at holding on to said money. By the end of August he had accumulated a gambling debt of 100 pounds, which was due by the end of September. This would have been tolerable had he not been robbed during a stroll through the East End. He was returning from a night of drunken carousing in a tavern, and unfortunately was carrying a large amount of his savings. He was left with around 10 pounds, enough to survive but, of course, not enough to pay off his massive debt.
Briefly, he pondered fleeing to France, but decided against it, having already expended a significant amount of effort on establishing himself in England. It was to be an option of last resort, if he fails to accumulate enough money from commissions (or other means) to pay the debt off.
Mustering confidence, he prepared himself for a month that would make or break his English career.
Recess 2
Having secured the patronage of Lord Brynfield, Marino accompanied the Welsh nobleman to his estates, where he was commissioned to do portraits of the Earl's mother and siblings. Although he had nowhere else to go, being flat broke, he nevertheless tried not to abuse the hospitality offered to him. Finishing the portraits took a little longer than usual, but only because he put in extra effort in getting every detail right, out of gratitude towards his benefactor. He managed to finish the portraits in three weeks, the end result being even more impressively vivid than his usual work.
As the French ambassador was recalled, he no longer had a patron in that embassy, and had drifted away from those circles, finding them not much help in establishing himself among the noble circles of this land.
Having nearly lost his life and ruined his career due to gambling debts, he decided to kick the habit altogether. He ceremonially torched his pack of playing cards and his pair of dice, vowing never to gamble again.
In the following months, commissions were scarce. He was given the task of restoring the frescoes in a small church in Bristol. The commission did not earn him much, but it allowed him to support himself while living a modest lifestyle in the bustling harbor town, and to restock his paints, canvases and charcoal sticks. He managed to complete the portraits and miniatures of Lady Catriona's sisters, and resolved to send them to her at the nearest opportunity. He also managed to turn his old Newmarket sketches into a lively and masterfully done Baroque painting.
By December, money was becoming scarce, and he heard that the court would be reconvening in Windsor. He pawned his silver clasp - convincing the shopkeeper it was once worn by Catherine de Medicis helped raise the price a few pounds more - thus securing himself enough money to pay for a trip to the town of Windsor and to purchase accomodations at a local inn for the duration of the Christmas season. He did not, however, have enough left to replenish his wardrobe, so he must now brave the freezing winter weather in his increasingly worn-out suits.
Family
- Mother Maria, born November 15th 1629.
- Father unknown.
