Biography from: Sotheby's
Born in Velletri, Italy, Joana Carolina Carlessimo, called Juana Romani, moved with her family as a young girl to Paris, where she first encountered painting as an art school model.
At age nineteen, Romani began her training as the pupil of Jean Jacques Henner before becoming a student of Ferdinand Roybet, and later, his mistress.
Like Roybet, she chose historical subjects and painted many portraits of young, mysterious women in costume.
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