Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, the daughter of the banker and major art collector, Baron Alphonse de Rothschild. Charming and very flamboyant, Beatrice married Maurice Ephrussi, a man fifteen years her senior who had a penchant for gambling and also for women and his gift to his young wife was an illness which prevented her form having children and an enormous amount of debt. The Rothschild family stepped in and took errant husband, Maurice to court to demand a separation and finally, after 21 years of marriage, Beatrice and Maurice separated.
The following year, Beatrice's father died and left her incredibly wealthy. She bought the house which is today the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Beaulieu, just along the coast from Nice, and set about collecting...animals, tea sets, art, plants. When she died, Beatrice left her house and collections (although not the animals) to the Academie des Beaux Arts.
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