A relief of the poetess Corilla in profile to the left, with the attributes of theatre and poetry

Maria Maddalena Morelli, also called Corilla, was born in 1740 in Pistoia. She studied in Florence where she was noticed at the age of ten by the Princess Pallavicini for her eloquence. She accompanied the Princess to Rome where she had her first success as a poetess and singer. She was invited by Empress Maria Theresa to sing in Innsbruck in 1765, and was acclaimed in most Italian courts. Amongst her fervent admirers were Empress Catherine II and Emperor Paul I. She was admitted to the Accademia of the Arcadia in the Pantheon in 1775 under the name of Corilla Olympica. She died in Florence in 1800.
Carlo Bianconi was secretary of the Academia degli Belli Arti of the Brera. Later he donated his collection of drawings to the Brera.