Bartolomea di Antonio Rossini

Marcella shows her grace and good sportsmanship on the archery field, prompting the adage "Let the redhead win!"

Persona History

Signora Marcella di Rossini was born in Florence in September of 1468 to Signor Domenico di Niccolo di Andrea Albizzi and his wife Bartolomea. A precocious child, Marcella often chose to spy on the up-and-coming artists in her father's patronage. As a result, while she is not particularly talented artistically, Marcella can often come up with reasonable facsimiles of other men's work for her own amusement. In addition to this unauthorized art tutelage, Marcella was trained in household management, and by the time she was fifteen she was able to competently take over her mother's duties whenever Bartolomea was ill.

In 1487, when Marcella was well into her nineteenth year, she accompanied her father on a trip to the Northern harbour city of Genova. At this time, the trip was a potentially dangerous one, as the city was under control of the Visconti of Milan. The trip was made, however, as its purpose was to introduce Marcella to her future husband, Giovanni di Antonio Rossini. Rossini was a seafaring merchant who was considerably older than his wife and had been married once before. He had four boisterous children - three sons and one daughter, and needed someone to manage his household and raise his children while he was tending to his business. It was not a young girl's ideal marriage but, given that Marcella was considered to be somewhat homely among the bachelors of Florence and Signor Domenico was not particularly wealthy and wanted to save as much money on Marcella's dowry as possible, the marriage was not a completely terrible prospect. In May of 1487, the merchant and the nobleman's daughter were wed.

The year is now 1495 and the rule of Milan is battling with the oligarchical rule by Doges (local dukes) for control of Genova. Despite less than romantic beginnings, Marcella's marriage has turned out to be a success. Marcella is an adept stepmother and manager of the household. Her husband is often away at sea, giving her ample time to pursue her own interests in art, music, and entertainment. She is a devout Roman Catholic, and goes to mass daily. She maintains her own Mary's Garden, and, while she has no children of her own, prays regularly to the Virgin Mother.

10 facts

• 1. Marcella is not known in the SCA for any particular accomplishment. Rather, she is known for being herself, making her something of an SCA socialite.
• 2. She is proud to be a member of Lionsdale's prestigious Press-Ganged Theatre Troupe
• 3. After 10 years, she is still wearing newbie garb. All of her nice stuff was made by talented friends.
• 4. Lived with Erasmus the Traveller and Aliena Searover for a time. No innocent bystanders were harmed, and great mutual affection still exists. Lived with Rosalind McAllister (aka Rose the Pure) for a time. Great mutual affection still exists, but innocent bystanders have been known to fall.
• 5. You want a favour? Let milk chocolate do the asking.
• 6. She is a disgustingly early riser. Fellow campers, you have been warned.
• 7. As a member of the esteemed House ByOB, she is attempting to get over a serious case of helium hand.
• 8. Yes, that is her natural hair color. No, she is not open to recreating a witch burning.
• 9. There have been some unsavoury rumours regarding Marcella and Petey, the mascot of Monkey House. Neither party will confirm these rumours.
• 10. She enjoys instances of unfettered editorial control.

Award History

Award of Arms Mar 22 AS 37 / 2003

Award of Arms Apr 3 AS 38 / 2004

• Apparently the good people of Seagirt forgot she got her AoA the year before. Bless them all.

Rumour and Ill-Repute

While there are those who believe she is an overachiever destined for greatness, it is more likely that she will be distracted by her tragic lack of attention span.

Known Accomplices

She can most often be found in the company of:

• HL Rosamund Kilpatrick
• Maister Iago ab Adam
• HL Ekatarina Borisovna
• HL HL Rosalinde McAllistair
• HL Caluath Ravenfin
• HL Eideard of Oronsay
• HL Brun Mogg
• House ByOB
• The degenerates of Monkey House.