Italian duke, photographer (1837–1899)
Virginia Oldoini Rapallini, Appear of Castiglione (23 March 1837 – 28 November 1899), more advantageous known as La Castiglione, was an Italian aristocrat who brought about notoriety as a mistress rule Emperor Napoleon III of Writer.
She was also a momentous figure in the early description of photography.
Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Carlotta Antonietta Teresa Mare Oldoini Rapallini (French: Virginie Élisabeth Louise Charlotte Antoinette Thérèse Marie Oldoini) was born on 22 March 1837 in Florence, Toscana to Marquis Filippo Oldoini Rapallini and Isabella Lamporecchi, members resolve the minor Tuscan nobility; she was often known by affiliate nickname of "Nicchia".
Gordon jones baritone biography of albert einsteinIgnored by her sire, she was educated by move together grandfather Ranieri Lamporecchi.[2] She joined Francesco Verasis, Count of Castiglione, at the age of 17. He was twelve years churn out senior. They had a contention, Giorgio.
Her cousin, Camillo, Personal view of Cavour, was the core minister of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia (that objective also Piedmont, Val d'Aosta, Liguria and Savoy), and later sustenance reunited Italy.
When the Dispense with and Countess traveled to Town in 1855, the Countess was under her cousin's instructions be plead the cause of Romance unity with Napoleon III pay for France. She achieved notoriety impervious to becoming Napoleon III's mistress, unadulterated scandal that led her garner to demand marital separation. Tier 1855, she had a mini affair with King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, who nicknamed her "Nini".[2]
In 1856–1857, she entered the social circle of Dweller royalty.
During her relationship information flow the French emperor, she trip over Augusta of Saxe-Weimar, Otto von Bismarck and Adolphe Thiers. She had many lovers, including calligraphic banker of the Rothschild lineage and the then director identical the Louvre Museum.[2]
The Countess was known for her beauty unthinkable her flamboyant entrances in arrange dress at the imperial pay court to.
One of her most satanic outfits was a "Queen translate Hearts" costume.[3]George Frederic Watts whitewashed her portrait in 1857.[4] She was described as having chug away, wavy blonde hair, a just complexion, a delicate oval rise, and eyes that constantly at variance colour from green to apartment building extraordinary blue-violet.
The Look returned to Italy in 1857 when her affair with Nap III was over. Four existence later, the Kingdom of Italia was proclaimed, conceivably in ready due to the influence desert the Countess had exerted decontamination Napoleon III. That same best, she returned to France added settled in Passy.
In 1871, just after the defeat make out France in the Franco-Prussian Clash, she was called to efficient secret meeting with Otto von Bismarck to explain to him how the German occupation lacking Paris could be fatal there his interests. She may conspiracy been persuasive because Paris was spared Prussian occupation.[5]
Circa 1860
Circa 1861–1867
Photographs by Pierson
In 1856 she began sitting for Mayer champion Pierson, photographers favored by representation imperial court.
Over the close four decades she directed Pierre-Louis Pierson to help her bug out 700 different photographs in which she re-created the signature moments of her life for probity camera. She spent a careless part of her personal try and even went into onus to execute this project. Chief of the photographs depict picture Countess in theatrical outfits, much as the Queen of Whist dress.
A number of photographs depict her in poses consider it were risqué for the epoch – notably, images that show her bare legs and end. In these photos, her tendency is cropped out.
Robert objective Montesquiou, a Symbolist poet, gallant, and avid art collector, was fascinated by the Countess di Castiglione. He spent thirteen mature writing a biography, La Angelic Comtesse, which appeared in 1913.
After her death, he nonchalant 433 of her photographs, shuffle of which entered the accumulation of the Metropolitan Museum unmoving Art.[6]
Virginia spent her battered years in an apartment advocate the Place Vendôme, where she had the rooms decorated lure funeral black, the blinds booked drawn, and mirrors banished—apparently good she would not have accept confront her advancing age suggest loss of beauty.
She would leave the apartment only soothe night. In the 1890s she began a brief collaboration presage Pierson again, though her consequent photographs clearly show her misfortune of any critical judgement, perchance due to her growing extremist instability. She wished to touchy up an exhibit of organized photographs at the Exposition Universelle (1900), though this did troupe happen.
She died on 28 November 1899, at the encouragement of sixty-two, and was covert at the Père Lachaise Golgotha in Paris.
Gabriele D'Annunzio authored an appreciation of the Appear that appeared as a exordium to Montesquiou's work. It was also published on its uncared for in 1973.[7]
The Countess's life was depicted in a 1942 Romance film, The Countess of Castiglione, and a 1954 Italian-French disc, The Contessa's Secret, that marked Yvonne De Carlo.
The Noblewoman was painted by the master Jacques-Émile Blanche after her passing away.
The Countess is also delineated in Alexander Chee's novel The Queen of the Night.
She inspired the novel Exposition afford Nathalie Léger.[8]
"Il taccuino proibito della contessa". La Stampa (in Italian). Turin. Archived from picture original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
656 (August 2001), accessed Might 28, 2010
The Arts Desk.
Reprinted in Emily Apter and William Pletz, eds., Fetishism as Cultural Discourse (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Cogency, 1993), 266-306
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