A Legacy (in Marble)
Anybody can create a legacy – take the case of an illiterate Genoese nut-seller named Caterina Campodonico.
Genoa was a successful republic for over seven hundred years. The city even granted England the use of the St George’s Cross flag back in the 12th century. Just outside the old Genoese city walls is a cemetery reserved for the wealthy. However, the cemetery also includes a beautiful statue of Caterina Campodonico. How could a woman who made her living selling nutshell necklaces and bread on the streets have afforded such an expensive monument? The answer carries important lessons on the management of wealth.
Caterina ran her own small business at a time when that was not respectable for a woman. Her family thought she was too independent for her own good. Despite their disapproval, Caterina toiled away year after year, gradually accumulating savings.
At the age of 76, Caterina fell ill. Death seemed inevitable. Caterina’s family knew she had accumulated a substantial nest egg and began arguing about who would benefit from her wealth. Caterina overheard this. When she unexpectedly recovered from her illness, she decided she would not leave her hard-earned money to any of them. Instead, she commissioned a prominent sculptor to create a gravesite statue of her. Caterina asked the sculptor to carve the finest of clothing on her marble statue, clothing she had never been able to wear. She asked that symbols of her means of wealth be included. So, the statue shows her hands rough from years of arduous work and includes twists of bread and chains of hazelnut necklaces.
Caterina’s monument even has an epitaph that includes the words: “By selling necklaces of nuts and sweets…, defying wind, sun, and water coming down in buckets, in order to provide an honest loaf for my old age; among the little money laid by myself to the furthest ends of time, with this monument, which I Caterina Campodonico (called the Peasant) ….., have erected while still alive…..” Yes, she had her statue erected while she was still alive. In the months before she died, she delighted in standing next to it in her peasant’s clothes to listen to the reactions of visitors when they saw her likeness looking like a princess.
What are the lessons in the management of wealth that we can take from Caterina? First, careful husbandry of money over time can produce a substantial sum even for those with low incomes. Second, legacy can mean many things but only has real value to the person whose legacy it is. Third, begin to enjoy your legacy before you die if you can. Finally, be discerning and self-centered when deciding what to do with your wealth. It is your money!
Caterina is now somewhat of a celebrity in Genoa as an example of a woman whose determination and grit overcame the biases of her era. That part of her legacy has had a lasting impact on Genoa and its visitors alike.
Richard Rushton