Once a year, fans of Empress ‘Sisi’ and Emperor Francis Joseph I can look forward to a very special sale. The auction of Imperial court memorabilia on 13 June 2023 at Dorotheum in Vienna will bring together objects from the personal possessions of members of the Austrian imperial family. The auction also includes portraits and memorabilia from other important European ruling houses.

Empress Elisabeth (1834-1898) is at the top of the popularity scale among members of the Austrian imperial family and at Dorotheum auctions. More than 120 years after her tragic death, she is still very much present: whether at the cinema or on Netflix, her popularity has not abated. “It’s because of Elisabeth’s charisma,” says Dorotheum Imperial House specialist Dr. Georg Ludwigstorff, “and also because of her beauty, without which she wouldn’t be famous”.

The sale offers numerous portraits of Empress Elisabeth as well as several items from her personal possessions: a fitted strap top, a silk undershirt - one of the very few preserved garments of the young future empress - is estimated at 5,000 to 10,000 euros. Also from the period before her marriage are two linen batiste handkerchiefs, which are part of the sale with an estimate between 1,000 and 2,000 euros each.

Elisabeth was considered one of the best riders in Europe, participating in English fox hunts and Irish stag hunts, and training dressage at the Spanish Riding School. A personal riding spur of the empress, from the estate of her chambermaid Madelaine Schäffert, is engraved with the inscription “Dieser Sporn wurde von weiland I. M. der Kaiserin und Königin Elisabeth benutzt” [This spur was used by her late Imperial Majesty the Empress and Queen Elisabeth” (€ 1,500-3,000).

Elisabeth evaded her duties of representation and court ceremonial by travelling, often for several months at a time. One of her personal nécessaires de voyage in gold, consisting of scissors, folding knife, pencil and needle, will be offered at the auction for 2,000 to 4,000 euros. Because of her love of the sea, the empress had an anchor tattooed on her shoulder, and she also had the Achilleion built on Corfu. The film ‘Sisi & I’, currently showing in Austrian cinemas, sheds light on Sisi’s carefree time in Greece. A napkin from the Greek palace is part of the offer, with an estimate between 300 and 600 euros. The sale also includes a parasol covered in turquoise silk (€ 3,000-6,000) and a signet that Elisabeth used for her personal correspondence (€ 3,000-6,000).

Emperor Francis Joseph’s last valet-de-chambre Eugen Ketterl had permission to sell the monarch’s discarded objects while the latter was still alive. Each item was accompanied by a written confirmation of authenticity on a sealed visiting card. One such object is Emperor Francis Joseph’s personal infantry officer’s sabre, which is up for auction with an estimate of 3,000 to 6,000 euros. Further items from the emperor’s personal possessions include a pair of luxuriously crafted cufflinks with moonstone and emeralds (€ 2,500-5,000), a meerschaum pipe with carved coat of arms (€ 2,000-4,000), and a cigar holder (€ 400-800).