After my previous blog about the green Armagnac bottle, I’ve heard from many of you wanting more stories about items in the Etsy store. As I do try (and enjoy) to conduct accurate research and go beyond providing just a simple listing description, I hope you enjoy this little history lesson. I certainly learned something.
This is the story of a couple of miniature paintings that we collected from Theo’s late parents’ house in 2015 when we moved to Europe. Although German through and through, Theo’s mom had a bit of Francophile in her, judging from items she chose to decorate the house with.
The master bedroom in their home was decorated in soft pink and olive green, with very Provincial-inspired furniture, including painted headboard, nightstands, and large armoire in ivory with gold embellishments. In the corner was a dainty seating ensemble, including a tiny loveseat and single boudoir chair upholstered in olive mohair with thick bullion fringe around the bottom. With crystal sconces gracing each side of the bed and a large crystal chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, the room was no less than elegant. On the walls were her collections of miniatures, and I’m featuring two of them here. The perfect fusion of a German portrait with a French aesthetic, both in Anneliese’s good taste.
These are my favourites, reproductions of two portraits from the Nymphenburg Palace in enchanting ivory, mother of pearl, and bone frames.
The imposing Nymphenburg Palace is certainly a not-to-be-missed stop when touring Munich in Bavaria, southern Germany. The breathtaking Baroque palace constitutes one of the premier royal palaces of Europe. Its frontal width of 632 m (2,073 ft) even surpasses Versailles Palace. The Nymphenburg served as the summer residence for the former rulers of Bavaria, and is now famous not only for its collection of artworks, but for housing the Schönheitengalerie or the Gallery of Beauties.
The Gallery of Beauties is a collection of 36 portraits of the most beautiful women in Munich. The portraits were commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, a man known for his eccentricity and his love for beauty. German portrait painter Joseph Stieler painted the 36 portraits, featuring women from royalty, nobility, and middle-classes, the latter group shown wearing elaborate dresses and hair accessories despite their humble backgrounds.
First, we have Helene Kreszenz Sedlmayr (1813-1898), who was a German beauty of the 19th century, considered the epitome of Munich’s beauties, dressed in old Munich costume.
A shoemaker’s daughter, she became known to Ludwig I of Bavaria when, at age 15, she supplied toys to his children and he commissioned this portrait of her. Ludwig is said to have wooed her with the words, “Don’t have such a searching and inquiring glance. You cheeky, loveliest beauty, look at me and trust me.” Helene later married the king’s valet, and together they had 10 children.
The second portrait is of Anna Hillmayer (1812–1847), who was the daughter of a Munich meat dealer, proving that the famous series of beautiful women were not only ladies of the court, but women from all classes of society. She died unmarried on her 35th birthday. She is shown here wearing the traditional Munich headdress with a prayer book in front of the Munich Frauenkirche as a symbol of piety.
Portrait miniatures were produced in great numbers all the way through the 1800s as everyone wanted a memento of the beauties of Bavaria. The quality of these copies varies enormously and you can discern the difference of mine with the original. They were generally painted on ivory, but sometimes were simply printed on celluloid, with limited over-painting of the highlights, often in opaque white. They often had a fake signature of a famous artist added.
The frames are a thing of beauty, with bone, ivory, and mother of pearl. The paintings are surrounded by an intricate bronze bezel. Mine have the original paper backing consisting of pages of old German books to give an impression of great age. Still with the original convex glass front, they appear to have never been out of their frames. I am dating these at around 1900. And while giving a very French look to any room, they do portray German beauties, so a wonderful juxtaposition of Theo’s mom’s inclinations.
I would like to purchase the paining of Helene Sedlemayr.please let me know if it is still available.