Thorvaldsen had several female acquaintances over his years in Rome. He had two children, in 1806 and 1813, with the Italian Anna Maria Magnani. In 1818 he became engaged to a woman of the Scottish nobility called Frances Mackenzie of Seaforth, though by the end of that year e had embarked on a new relationship with the German-born Fanny Caspers (1787-1835). After a brief theatrical career, Fanny Caspers had become companion help to a Hungarian princess travelling through Europe. The princess did not take up too much of her time, so while in Rome she had plenty of opportunity to cultivate her own friends, among whom could be counted the painter Louise Seidler and Thorvaldsen. In her memoirs, Seidler provides a vivid description of how Thorvaldsen would often turn up in her studio when Fanny Caspers was sitting for her. The relationship came to an end when the heart-broken Fanny Caspers was obliged to leave Rome together with her mistress.
