Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898) was the fashion icon of her time and was long considered the most beautiful woman in Europe. Her clothes defined style. Famous tailors in Budapest, Vienna and Paris were keen to work for the Austrian empress, whose height (1.70 cm) and narrow waist (only about 50 cm) they very much admired.

At Dorotheum’s sale of “Imperial Court Memorabilia and Historical Objects” on 20 May 2021 a special rarity is coming up for auction: a personal jacket of Empress Elisabeth, featuring luxurious needle lace with leaf and vine decoration on cream-coloured silk tulle. This jacket is in keeping with the fashion in around 1860. After the tragic suicide of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, in 1889, Elisabeth wore only black clothes, and gave away her entire light-coloured wardrobe to the members of her family. Thus, the jacket offered in the auction comes from the estate of her daughter, Archduchess Marie Valerie and her descendants. Dorotheum expects this extraordinary piece of clothing to fetch at least 8,000 euros.

As a souvenir of her husband Crown Prince Rudolf, a total of four personal shirt and collar buttons were given by Crown Princess Stephanie of Belgium to the Crown Prince’s tutor, Joseph Latour von Thurmburg. This is evidenced by the accompanying letter written by Obersthofmeister Rudolf Karl Albert von Bombelles and dated 1889, the year in which the heir to the throne committed suicide: “Her Imperial and Royal Highness the Crown Princess Dowager sends you the following memento of her unforgettable spouse. Vienna, 21 February 1889, Bombelles”. (starting price € 2,300).

Elisabeth lived a largely non-conformist life at the Austrian imperial court. She travelled extensively, practiced high performance sports, and smoked cigars and cigarettes. Her brother Charles Theodor gave her a leather cigar case for her birthday, which will be up for sale with a starting price of 700 euros.

A writing exercise in Gothic and Latin script, which Francis Joseph wrote at the age of 9 in June 1839, provides an insight into the education of the future Austrian emperor: “If you want to enjoy a quiet life freed from envy, learn to enjoy the little frugally. Every man has his luck in his hands and he who wantonly spoils it himself must not count on miracles. Schönbrunn, 1 July 1839, Francis”. (starting price € 800).

This auction offers more than 200 objects from the Austrian court and other European ruling houses, including numerous items from the personal possessions of the rulers, first and foremost "Sisi" and Francis Joseph I, busts, paintings and much more.

IMPERIAL COURT MEMORABILIA AND HISTORICAL OBJECTS

Auction date
20 may 2021, 2 pm

Viewing from
13 may 2021

Venue
Palais Dorotheum, 1010 Vienna , Dorotheergasse 17

Specialist    
Dr.  Georg Ludwigstorff, 
Tel. +43-1-515 60-363,
georg.ludwigstorff@dorotheum.at