She sought to emulate her life, both as she lived it and as she imagined it. It wasnt all disreputable behavior in the court of Napoleon III, and the countesss proximity to the emperor threw her into the paths of some of the most important figures in Europe at the time, including legendary German statesman Otto von Bismarck, who was like Angela Merkel before Angela Merkel was cool. September 14, 2020. This is the famous "Queen of Hearts" colorized photo of the Countess of Castiglione by Pierson. With Yvonne De Carlo, Georges Marchal, Paul Meurisse, Rossano Brazzi. The daughter of Tuscan nobles, her birth name wasdeep breath for thisVirginia Elisabetta Luisa Carlotta Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoini. 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! You might call her the Godmother of the staged Surrealist selfie. In 1879, little Giorgio passed from smallpox, predeceasing his utterly bereft mother by a cruel 20 years. Although their relationship was technically collaborative, the Countess held all the cards: meticulously dictating the costumes, the sets, the scenes, and the ways in which images should be painted and embellished afterwards (some were given to the artist Aquilin Schad to overlay with gouache, while others she scribbled on herself). Portrait Photography. View Etsys Privacy Policy. This unique personality from the 19 th century is none other that of the Countess of Castiglione, whose own life merits a novel and whose art turned out to be quite extravagant. IMDbPro See more details at IMDbPro. Contents hide. He asked Virginia to travel to Paris and convince Napoleon the III to be their aide in the unification of Italy. Captcha failed to load. (20% off), Sale Price 4.68 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). She was born in 1837 to an aristocratic family in La . Giorgio Verasis di Castiglione (1855-1879) Virginia Oldoni Rapallini, Countess of Castiglione (22 March 1837 - 28 November 1899), better known as La Castiglione, was an Italian aristocrat who achieved notoriety as a mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France. His devotion led him to confide in his cousin. By Pierre-Louis Pierson, albumen silver print from glass negative.In what became the introduction to their First Period (1856-1857) of work, Pierre-Louis Pierson photographed the Countess of Castiglione at his Mayer & Pierson studio in July of 1856. Her cousin, Camilo Benso, was a minister in the court of Victor Emmanuel II, the King of Sardinia. Public collections can be seen by the public, including other shoppers, and may show up in recommendations and other places. . That wasp-waisted dress is the plaidest thing I have ever seen! 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. In 1857, when her relationship with Napoleon III ended, La Castiglione moved back to Italy. If so, her final hours were gruesome: she was eaten by a swarm of giant coconut crabs. (Looking back, that may possibly be why as a pre-teen I enjoyed the swings in the playground so much; I would have swung for hours if there hadnt always been someone else who wanted a go on them. Want to know more interesting facts? We know that the studio was luxurious; engravings show its salons, antechambers, vast porticos, enormous bay windows bathing the galleries with light. She is completing her PhD in Toronto, Canada. 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. Virginia had successfully enticed the Emperor and became his mistress, much to the dissatisfaction of his wife, Empress Eugenie. All rights reserved. The best part? Do you ever watch movies in languages you cant understand? Born Virginie Oldoini in 1837, this Italian worman coming from Tuscan nobility married Franois Verasis, Count of Castiglione, in 1854. I dont think narcissist is the right word. Sale Price 14.01 She Was Born Into Privilege. He asked the countess to go to France and convince Napoleon to join their side. Emperor Napoleon didnt seem to mind that the countess came to his court as a married woman, and Castigliones mission went very well indeed. Most of the photographs depict the Countess in theatrical outfits, such as the Queen of Hearts dress. Sadly, as well see, she might have had a darker reason for this behavior. In these photos, her head is cropped out. Listen, girls know how to get things done. Select from premium Virginia Oldoini, Countess Of Castiglione of the highest quality. As an older woman robbed of the beauty that defined her, La Castiglione left the world quietly, in isolation and in darkness. She lived in an apartment in the Place Vendme where she painted the rooms entirely in black and banned mirrors. Yes! James Hyman Gallery is delighted to return to Photo London and to present the very first London exhibition of one of the greatest figures in the history of photography, the Countess of Castiglione. 2 Early marriage. I was able to vaguely follow what was going on through the over-the-top acting and flashbacks. Soon enough, it all came crashing down. in her 18th century get-up, swinging as Napoleon, Eugenie, and the court look on, in what is clearly a metaphor for Ok I will shag this guy for Italy.. Almost as soon as she set foot in Paris, Oldoini was notorious as Napoleons mistress, and she took no trouble to hide the affair. . Flavio Calzavara. Directed and staged by the Countess, herself, and created in collaboration with the studio photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson . Her parents were the Marquis of Filippo Oldoini and the Marquise of Isabella Lamporecchi, who belonged to the Tuscan nobility. First, the fabric. While there, she was granted a pension for her diplomatic accomplishments. Wouldnt you know, she got custody of Giorgio for the rest of his life. At the pinnacle of her self love journey, Virginia sent out her portraits to friends and acquaintances in the form of albums, duly autographed as a sign of her abounding favour towards them (which was obviously unasked for). The Countess continued to enjoy her expensive taste in men and self-indulgence until it took an eerie turn. Find Countess Of Castiglione stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Christine Tran is a history buff(ette) and media scholar. View contact information for cast and crew. All rights reserved. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. Being a fashion showstopper, she was an icon and the talk of the town. When he tried to gain full custody over their only son Giorgio not so subtly indicating her bitterness and disgust towards her ex-husband. The reasons for her sudden fall from grace remain a private mystery. She donned this title at the young age of 17, causing the men and women of the royal courts she subsequently frequented to know her primarily as La Castiglione. He later scrawled furiously: Our separation is irrevocable. 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. According to reports from the time, they were constantly changing from green to a brilliant blue-violet. Though most of the 700+ photos depicted her wearing her singularly extravagant outfits, some photos were salacious for the time, depicting her naked legs and feet. Shes also an academic, with several articles on fashion history published in research journals. Sep 10, 2013 - The 19th-century Italian aristocrat, better known as as La Castiglione, was an iconic model, muse, mistress, narcissist, and queen of drama. But unlike our pitiful selfies, Oldoini turned self-obsession into a cottage industryin fact, its what shes famous for today. Does Fragonards painting have the same subtext? Very sad. 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. Browse 343 countess of castiglione stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. After teaming up with photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson, Oldoini amassed over 700 19th-century selfies. The Countess of Castiglione in collaboration with Pierre-Louis Pierson. By the time she was a teen, men were regularly trying to bed the beauty. To enable personalized advertising (like interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. I recently stumbled across this 1942 version starring Doris Duranti as the countess on YouTube (the other main film about the countess is the 1954The Contessas Secret starring Yvonne de Carlo; if anyone knows where I can watch it, let me know!). Today. Turns out that while Napoleon and the countess were very pleased with themselves, Francesco wasnt so ecstatic, and her bitter husband soon demanded a separation. When Virginia was just 17 years old, her parents wasted no time in marrying her off to Francesco Verasis, the Count of Castiglione. ", 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. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. The Countess was a rebel, she did not conform to the traditional roles of a woman and a wife, as it was expected of her and did what she pleased. Her level of control over these projects cannot be. She rarely left its walls (painted black, of course) during daylight hours. Some scholars argue that the Countess of Castiglione wasnt just the first model of our timeshe was also the first supermodel too. It holds just the right amount of intrigue with its arrangement of material and mirrors, as well as its ambiguous message: Vanity? Oldoini never did reconcile with her husbandand though this would get her into trouble later, she didnt much mind for the time being. Okay this dressing gown just screams 1940s. 11 - 15 May 2022. She only ventured out of her gloomy residence at night-time, covering herself from head to toe in a black gown, and a veil over her face, ashamed of anyone getting a glimpse of her destitute state. Children. It's hard not to admire the sheer, inventive scope of the imagery, as well as the clothes: all those veils, capes, headpieces, and ornate off-the-shoulder gowns. Though this might sound tame, these poses were so indecent by 19th-century standards, she had to crop out her face. She also insisted on photographing him constantly, pulling him into many of her projects and often making him serve as her stand-in when she set up shots. Glamorous, with an emphasis on form and fashion, the images were among the first of their kind. You know youve made it when someone compares you to a literal goddess. Obsessed with her own image, the Countess de Castiglione was more than a mere narcissist. The Countess returned to Italy in 1857 when her affair with Napoleon III was over. 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