Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria

Maria Antonia Walpurgis didn’t just sing opera—she painted it, too. A princess who ruled Saxony, she composed and performed while her husband handled politics, a rare woman living two lives at once. She left behind quiet, glowing religious scenes where light seems to hum off the canvas, like in her *Mary Magdalene* (1752), where the saint’s tears catch the light like candle flames. Her self-portrait from 1772 shows her brush in hand, wearing a dress that looks like it belongs in a palace music room. Tap *Mary Magdalene* to see how she turned piety into something almost musical.