Caterina Gattai Tomatis

Katarzyna Tomatis

Cecilia Caterina Maria Gattai Tomatis née Filippazzi (Milan, 1747 - 1792, Warsaw), was an Italian ballerina. She was a mistress of Stanisław August Poniatowski. Tomatis is mentioned in the memoirs of Casanova.

Tomatis debuted in Venice in 1760. She was a Prima ballerina at the Royal Opera of Warsaw in 1765-66, during which she had an affair with the king.

In 1766, she married the Italian adventurer Carlo Alessandro Tomatis (1739-1797), who called himself count de Vallery et de la Loux, Baron de la Bridoire. Caterina Tomatis then retired from the stage.

Her relationship with King Stanislaw continued on an on-and-off basis to at least 1778. The king gave her and Carlo Tomatis a large cash gift, allowing them to lead a comfortable life in a palace in Warsaw, participating in high society.

References

• Paweł Chynowski: Tomatis Cecilia Maria Caterina [in] Polski Słownik Biograficzny, Vol. LIV/2, book. 221, Instytut Historii PAN, Warszawa 2022, pages 281-283. ISBN 978-83-66911-05-5
• Ludwik Bernacki: Teatr, dramat i muzyka za Stanisława Augusta. Vol. 1. Lwów: Wydawnictwo Zakładu Narodowego im. Ossolińskich, 1925.