Cesarini's beauty made him attractive to other people. During the visit to Venice, he flirted with Alexandrine (Sacha) Ricoy Antokolsky, the daughter of the sculptor Mark Antokolsky, who even travelled back to Capri and finally managed to seduce him. D'Adelswärd-Fersen reacted furiously with a volume of poems appropriately titled "So sang Marsyas" – an exalted song of praise for Cesarini, since he was frightened by the thought that Cesarini would abandon him. It was suggested that this explosion of passion was motivated by d'Adelswärd-Fersen's fear of 'losing' Nino, and the jealousy that fuelled such fear.
