A portrait of the Countess of Castiglione. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Very sad. In this fragment of a reflection, her gaze is steady, staring right down the camera lens. The Italian aristocrats legendary beauty and photographic misadventures turned her into the worlds first model, but thats not what made her infamous. Role. Most tragically, this was not to be. Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Carlotta Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoni Rapallini (French: Virginie lisabeth Louise Charlotte Antoinette Thrse Marie Oldoni) was born on 22 March 1837 in Florence, Tuscany to Marquis Filippo Oldoni Rapallini and Isabella Lamporecchi, members of the minor Tuscan nobility; she was often known by her nickname of "Nicchia". Nevertheless, her allure and artistry came with a baggage, known to only a few. Trying not to hurl as Napoleon III cheeses on her. Explore. Detail, Louis Pierson's photographic portrait of the Countess of Castiglione, ca. All eyes were on her whenever she entered a room, and her costumes were the talk of the court. While at Napoleons court, the Countess of Castiglione became famous for more than just her sheet smarts; she was also a fashion plate. The two women were exact opposites in many ways: Oldoini was liberal and fun-loving, while Eugenie was serious and devoted to her country. Instead, she sent her ex a present in the mail. Duranti is FAR TOO OLD to pull it off. Her interests include the European Renaissance, popular culture, and Internet history. Sign up for our newsletter. ), Yes, its found it. From 1856 to 1895, she had more than 400 photographs of herself . Select from premium Virginia Oldoini, Countess Of Castiglione of the highest quality. In 1855, their only son, Giorgio, was . Mariah Carey could never. Set where you live, what language you speak, and the currency you use. (689) $5.95. It was also published on its own in 1973. With Yvonne De Carlo, Georges Marchal, Paul Meurisse, Rossano Brazzi. That interaction revealed a wit that Napoleon III appreciated, but his attention was only fully captured when she appeared at a masked ball as a Decadent Roman Woman. James Hyman Gallery. Go get em, girl. Chinese Woman and Marquise, 1861-1867. (20% off), Sale Price 4.68 Performance. Giorgio, in turn, adored her. By 1860, The Divine Countess had fallen from grace in Napoleons court and had become an eyesore for the Emperor who had moved onto newer conquests. Its said that she expected to be admired by those who shared her company, and that her conversation was often grating, as it centered around herself and her needs exclusively. She was noted for her fair complexion, delicate oval face, long blonde hair, and eyes that changed color from blue-violet to green. It's oval-shaped, holding a partial reflection of her faceeyes, nose, the top of her lips. Along with photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson, Virginia managed to take around 700 photographs of herself. When the Countess bragged and showed off the many gifts the emperor gave her, these lapses in her discretion prompted the dissolution of their relationship. Genealogy profile for Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione. Over the next four decades she directed Pierre-Louis Pierson to help her create 700 different photographs in which she re-created the signature moments of her life for the camera. Original Price 17.51 Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. The Countess was known for her beauty and her flamboyant entrances in elaborate dress at the imperial court. In 1856 she began sitting for Mayer and Pierson, photographers favored by the imperial court. Well, she did pay for the consequences of her nastiness. The Eternal Father did not know what he was creating the day he sent her into the world. Aaaaand Kendra starts shaking her head very, very sadly. People called her beauty a miracle and named her as la divinia contessa. Kendra is a librarian at a university, specializing in history and fashion. The Countess of Castiglione had no love lost for Empress Eugenie, Napoleon's wife. By dying in 1899, she also missed out on the 20th centuryan era where photography would only continue to dominate media and society. Whenever she wasnt perfectly satisfied with a photograph, shed use hand-painting to soften her unflattering angles and put herself in the best light. Great! Atget would record the soul of the city. As her name implies, Oldoinis parents had big expectations for the little girlexpectations that would soon ruin her entire life. Suddenly, her regime of funereal black rooms, veils, and never leaving the house makes tragic sense. By shooting and painting hundreds of photos to perfection, she opened the door to using photography as a medium to tell stories and create emotionally affecting . This type of data sharing may be considered a sale of information under California privacy laws. [11], The Countess of Castiglione in a photo by, Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Carlotta Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoni Rapallini, Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione. Commissioned by the countess herself and created under her supervision, the images more . In other words: Bed that boy, and fast. Now, the problem with the Countess of Castiglione as a frock flicks subject is that the two main movies about her are in Italian, and hard to track down. dressed in a gorgeous gown and holding a knife in her hand, titled "La Venegance . In the summer of 2014, she published a book on 18th-century wig and hair styling. Camillo encouraged seduction in no uncertain terms when he told her to succeed using any means necessary. Log in. He left for Italy, leaving his Countess engaging in her newly found hobby in France. Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione (22 March 1837 - 28 November 1899), better known as La Castiglione, was born to an aristocratic family from La Spezia.She was a 19th-century Italian aristocrat who achieved notoriety as a mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France. These actions protected her from watching her own beauty decay, and allowed her admirers to only remember the beauty she was in her youth. An image of the Countess with long hair and knife in her hand, titled "La Vengeance," was sent to her estranged husband when he attempted to gain custody of their child. RF2HW4NH9 - Art inspired by Countess de Castiglione, 1895, Albumen silver print from glass negative, Approximately 14.3 x 9.9 cm (5 5/8 x 3 7/8 in. Her photographs werent just about the clothes she was wearing but also about who was wearing them, putting Oldoini up with the likes of Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. That wasp-waisted dress is the plaidest thing I have ever seen! Her cousin, Camillo, Count of Cavour, was a minister of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia (that included also Piedmont, Val d'Aosta, Liguria and Savoy). The Italian Virginia Oldoini weds the Comte de Castiglione and is sent in 1856 in Paris to help defend the cause of Italy, in the likes of . Victoria And Albert Museum. Well on the painting, the lady basically opens her legs so that her lover hidden in a bush can enjoy the view from below so yes, sex! Her cousin, Camilo Benso, was a minister in the court of Victor Emmanuel II, the King of Sardinia. I once watched several hours of La Vengenza (a Spanish Soap opera) when I was at home before I had to go to work on Univision. She also recreated defining moments of her life, mythologizing her own story by documenting herself in dresses that had proved themselves especially admired or notorious, chief among them being her Queen of Hearts costume. This is the famous "Queen of Hearts" colorized photo of the Countess of Castiglione by Pierson. Her last years were eccentric, but as in most of her endeavors, her youthful beauty drove her decisions. Four years later, the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, conceivably in part due to the influence that the Countess had exerted on Napoleon III. He left her in a corner without assigning her a place.". The grandeur of each of her outfits came with an exorbitant price, making her not so dear husband bankrupt during the two years of their marriage. Upon receipt of this photo, her husband quieted and left the boy with his mother. This major solo exhibition includes over fifty rare portraits of the Countess from the 1850s to the 1890s. Keep the snark flowing by supporting us with a small one-time donation on Ko-fi. Oldoini showed an eerie attachment to her only son Giorgio, but it didnt stop at doting. Tags1860sCountess of CastiglioneEmpress EugenieGino Sensanigreat hairinspired by a true storyItalyNapoleon IIIshuddup I love biopics. Watch fullscreen. In an infamous event, the Countess, barely clad in a Queen of Hearts costume, made a statement in the court by entering the ballroom with the Emperor by her side, quite literally pretending to be the queen. The Countess of Castiglione would appear to have been obsessed with her own image since she had herself photographed during a period of over forty years by Pierre-Louis Pierson (1822-1913), the first photo being taken in July 1856, the last in 1895. View Etsys Privacy Policy. The countesss meaning wasnt lost on Empress Eugenie, and the straight-laced woman ended up getting in a savage comeback. Italian Virgiana Oldoini , countess of Castiglione , she was the spy of french emperor NapoleonIII, holding an oval picture frame up to her eye,. A pioneering model and a bounty of Narcissism , she took self love to a completely different tangent. [2], In 18561857, she entered the social circle of European royalty. The Countess was famous for one feature in particular: Her eyes. Browse 343 countess of castiglione stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. At one point shes reunited with her lover: Which was notable to me, because her plaid dress, reminded me of the very first image I ever saw of the countess, in which I died over her (probably photographically altered) wasp waist |La Comtesse de Castiglione La robe cossaise byPierre-Louis Pierson, 1859 via Artsy, And then in a euphemistic shot that completely reminded me ofThe Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, shes seen on stage NO idea whats up with that, as far as I know the real countess didnt do any theater?? This major solo exhibition includes over fifty rare portraits of the Countess from . I dont think narcissist is the right word. That photo of her on the swing looks like they were attempting a tableau of Fragonards 1767 painting, The Swing, or The Happy Accident. Finally we catch back up to the countess in her OH MY GOD THAT HAIR IS SO FABULOUS period: Theres a bunch of scenes of her in 18th century fancy dress where shes clearly deciding whether she can stomach taking one for the team with Napoleon III: They go with a very Madame du Barry look., Which isnt spot on, but isnt totally unlike her 18th century-inspired fancy dress | Mathilde (Countess of Castiglione) by Pierre-Louis Pierson, 1860s,Metropolitan Museum of Art. From 1856 to 1895, the Countess di Castiglionea great beauty and shameless narcissistcollaborated with photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson on more than 400 self-portraits. Not only was her husband a noble, but her own heritage was also nothing to slouch at. This sartorial talent even once allowed her to make a legendary statement. Captcha failed to load. Unfortunately, the story does not end well for this selfie beauty queen. Well, Camillo must have been a smart man, because one day he rang up the countess with a brilliantand utterly scandalousproposition. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Hasards_heureux_de_l%27escarpolette#/media/Fichier:Fragonard,_The_Swing.jpg. She often stood in the middle of the court, asking men to worship her like the goddess she was. Many times, her self-absorption got the better of her and instead of seducing her dancing partner, she only made them yawn. ", But Apraxine notes that the Countess' work anticipated several trends in contemporary art and feminist art in particular, prefiguring artists like Cindy Sherman, Claude Cahun, Gillian Wearing, Yasumasa Morimura, and Sophie Calle, all of whom used photography to explore the significance of dressing up, adopting appearances, and manipulating the means of being viewed by othersthough Apraxine cautions against viewing the Countess' work as feminist or a "conscious source of the pictorial innovations to follow. This was all supposed to change at the turn of the century, when the aging model finally had big plans to display her collection of over 700 photos at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. First, a gorgeous photo of her in stunning plaid with a crazy wasp waist turned up in a history textbook my freshman year of college. So, I basically got about 1% of the dialogue, and very little of the story, so it was basically like watching a beautiful silent film. La Comtesse de Castiglione (The eyes) by Pierre-Louis Pierson, 1863-1866 via ArtNet. ( Odd Feed). Like many other significant society figures, she made her way to the Mayer-Pierson photographic studio on Boulevard de Capucine, which was helmed by imperial court photographer and daguerreotypist Pierre-Louis Pierson. How Are Cotton Candy Grapes Made? She would not live to see the Exposition where she planned to debut her photos. Flavio Calzavara. Want to know more? The Countess de Castiglione was a rare creature indeed: a full-blown 19th-century narcissist with unlimited access to a camera. A notorious womanizer, Napoleon also suffered from a chaste and pious wife, Empress Eugenie, who had long stopped sleeping with him because she found him and his extra-marital escapades disgusting.
