p, 1819-1896 PO
Musician / Composer
Maria Wodzińska (7 January 1819 – 7 December 1896) was a Polish artist who was once engaged to Frédéric Chopin.Wodzińska was the daughter of Count Wincenty and Countess Theresa Wodziński of the Jastrzębiec coat of arms. She had three brothers, Antoni, Feliks, and Kazimierz, and a sister, Jozefa. The family moved to Geneva in 1832, where Maria was "the brilliant star of the household...striking in every sense". She studied piano with composer John Field and art at the Geneva Academy. Prince Louis-Napoleon (later Napoleon III) was reportedly among those in love with her, as was poet Juliusz Słowacki, who wrote a poem about her. She was described as having "a touch of the Mediterranean about her": olive-toned skin and dark hair and eyes.