Pauline de Metternich
Encyclopedia
Princess Pauline Clémentine von Metternich - Winneburg zu Beilstein née
Countess Pauline Clémentine Marie Walburga Sándor de Szlavnicza (February 25, 1836 in Vienna
– September 28, 1921 in Vienna
) was a famous Viennese and Parisian socialite of great charm and elegance. She was an important promoter of the work of the German composer Richard Wagner
and the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana
.
Princess Pauline von Metternich (also known as "de Metternich" and "von Metternich-Winneburg") was born into the Hungarian noble family of Sándor de Slawnitza. Her father Moritz Sándor, described as "a furious rider" was known throughout the Habsburg empire as a passionate horseman. Her mother Princess Leontine von Metternich was a daughter of the Austrian chancellor Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich
(architect of the Concert of Europe
). It was at his home in Vienna
that Pauline spent almost her whole childhood.
In 1856, she married Prince Richard von Metternich
, a son of chancellor Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich so they were a husband and a wife and an uncle and a niece simultaneously. They lived a happy conjugal life (despite his frequent love-affairs with actresses and opera prima donnas). They had three daughters.
Pauline accompanied her husband, an Austrian diplomat, on his missions to the royal court in Dresden
and then the imperial court in Paris
where they lived for almost eleven years (1859 to 1870).
She played an important role in the social and cultural life of Dresden and Paris, and, after 1870, Vienna. She was a close friend and confidante of French Empress Eugénie
, and Princess Pauline and her husband were prominent personalities at the court of Emperor Napoleon III
. She introduced fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth
to the Empress and thus started his rise to fame.
Pauline was an ardent patron of music, and became a leader of fashionable society. Whether in Paris or Vienna, she set the latest social trends. She taught French and Czech aristocrats to skate, and ladies to smoke cigars without fear of their reputations. She was acquainted with many composers and writers, including Richard Wagner
, Franz Liszt
, Charles Gounod
, Camille Saint-Saëns
, Prosper Mérimée
and Alexandre Dumas
), and corresponded with them.
She was an advocate for the music of Wagner in Paris and Czech music composer Bedřich Smetana
in Vienna. She organised salon performances of abridged versions of many famous operas, including Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen
, in which she took part both as a stage director and singer.
In her private life, Pauline suffered several crises and disasters. As a child, she was an eyewitness to the revolution of 1848 in Vienna. In 1870 she remained at the side of Empress Eugénie in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War
, and later aided her escape from Paris to Great Britain
by secretly sending Eugénie's jewels to London in a diplomatic bag. Her first child was Sophie (1857–1941); her second daughter Pascaline (b.1862) married Count George of 'Waldstein', an insane and alcoholic Czech aristocrat who was said to have murdered her in delirium in Duchcov
(today in the Czech Republic
) in 1890. Her youngest daughter, Clementine (d.1870), was badly injured by her dog as a child and decided never to marry due to her scarred face.
Princess Pauline died in Vienna in 1921. She lived through the glory and fall of the Austria
n and French
empires and was believed to be a living symbol of these two lost worlds.
A portrait of her by French impressionist
Edgar Degas
, painted from a photograph, now hangs in the National Gallery, London.
and helped them. She organised the Parisian première of Wagner 's opera Tannhäuser in 1861. The failure of the project (it closed after three performances) became a celebrated fiasco and one of the greatest music scandals of the 19th century. Nevertheless, she went on and spread the music of Wagner and other now-famous composers. One of her protegés was the leading Czech musician of that time, Bedřich Smetana] whom she introduced to the music circles of Vienna and Paris. Thanks to her Smetana 's comic opera The Bartered Bride
was produced in Vienna in 1892, to popular acclaim.
Her regular travels between, and extended stays in Paris and Vienna, permitted her to act as a cross-cultural transmitter of the many trends that interested her in music, political ideas, and sport.
She wrote two books of memoirs. The first, Gesehenes, geschehenes, erlebtes , in German, honored her grandfather chancellor Metternich and father Count Moritz Sándor, and the second, Éclairs du passé in French, recalled life and times in the court of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. Both were published posthumously in the 1920s.
Since his marriage produced three daughters, after his death, the title of "Prince von Metternich"passed to his half - brother, Paul von Metternich.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Countess Pauline Clémentine Marie Walburga Sándor de Szlavnicza (February 25, 1836 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
– September 28, 1921 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) was a famous Viennese and Parisian socialite of great charm and elegance. She was an important promoter of the work of the German composer Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
.
Life
Klemens Wenzel von Metternich
Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was a German-born Austrian politician and statesman and was one of the most important diplomats of his era...
(architect of the Concert of Europe
Concert of Europe
The Concert of Europe , also known as the Congress System after the Congress of Vienna, was the balance of power that existed in Europe from the end of the Napoleonic Wars to the outbreak of World War I , albeit with major alterations after the revolutions of 1848...
). It was at his home in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
that Pauline spent almost her whole childhood.
In 1856, she married Prince Richard von Metternich
Richard Klemens, Prince von Metternich
Prince Richard Klemens von Metternich , usually called Richard Metternich, was an Austrian diplomat, the son of the illustrious diplomat Prince Klemens von Metternich.-Biography:Richard Metternich was born in Vienna on 7 January 1829, the son of famous diplomat Prince Klemens von...
, a son of chancellor Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich so they were a husband and a wife and an uncle and a niece simultaneously. They lived a happy conjugal life (despite his frequent love-affairs with actresses and opera prima donnas). They had three daughters.
Pauline accompanied her husband, an Austrian diplomat, on his missions to the royal court in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and then the imperial court in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where they lived for almost eleven years (1859 to 1870).
She played an important role in the social and cultural life of Dresden and Paris, and, after 1870, Vienna. She was a close friend and confidante of French Empress Eugénie
Eugénie de Montijo
Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox-Portocarrero de Guzmán y Kirkpatrick, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo , was the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as the wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of...
, and Princess Pauline and her husband were prominent personalities at the court of Emperor Napoleon III
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
. She introduced fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth
Charles Frederick Worth
Charles Frederick Worth , widely considered the Father of Haute couture, was an English fashion designer of the 19th century, whose works were produced in Paris.-Career:...
to the Empress and thus started his rise to fame.
Pauline was an ardent patron of music, and became a leader of fashionable society. Whether in Paris or Vienna, she set the latest social trends. She taught French and Czech aristocrats to skate, and ladies to smoke cigars without fear of their reputations. She was acquainted with many composers and writers, including Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, Charles Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
, Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
, Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée was a French dramatist, historian, archaeologist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen.-Life:...
and Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
), and corresponded with them.
She was an advocate for the music of Wagner in Paris and Czech music composer Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
in Vienna. She organised salon performances of abridged versions of many famous operas, including Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
, in which she took part both as a stage director and singer.
In her private life, Pauline suffered several crises and disasters. As a child, she was an eyewitness to the revolution of 1848 in Vienna. In 1870 she remained at the side of Empress Eugénie in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, and later aided her escape from Paris to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
by secretly sending Eugénie's jewels to London in a diplomatic bag. Her first child was Sophie (1857–1941); her second daughter Pascaline (b.1862) married Count George of 'Waldstein', an insane and alcoholic Czech aristocrat who was said to have murdered her in delirium in Duchcov
Duchcov
Duchcov is a town in the Teplice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population exceeding 9,000 and is located at the foot of the Ore Mountains....
(today in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) in 1890. Her youngest daughter, Clementine (d.1870), was badly injured by her dog as a child and decided never to marry due to her scarred face.
Princess Pauline died in Vienna in 1921. She lived through the glory and fall of the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n and French
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
empires and was believed to be a living symbol of these two lost worlds.
A portrait of her by French impressionist
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
, painted from a photograph, now hangs in the National Gallery, London.
Legacy
Princess Pauline was a notable patron of contemporary arts. She befriended music composers Richard Wagner (he dedicated a piano composition to her) and Franz LisztFranz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
and helped them. She organised the Parisian première of Wagner 's opera Tannhäuser in 1861. The failure of the project (it closed after three performances) became a celebrated fiasco and one of the greatest music scandals of the 19th century. Nevertheless, she went on and spread the music of Wagner and other now-famous composers. One of her protegés was the leading Czech musician of that time, Bedřich Smetana] whom she introduced to the music circles of Vienna and Paris. Thanks to her Smetana 's comic opera The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
was produced in Vienna in 1892, to popular acclaim.
Her regular travels between, and extended stays in Paris and Vienna, permitted her to act as a cross-cultural transmitter of the many trends that interested her in music, political ideas, and sport.
She wrote two books of memoirs. The first, Gesehenes, geschehenes, erlebtes , in German, honored her grandfather chancellor Metternich and father Count Moritz Sándor, and the second, Éclairs du passé in French, recalled life and times in the court of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. Both were published posthumously in the 1920s.
Issue
Richard and Pauline von Metternich had three children :- Princess Sophie von Metternich (1857–1941)
- Countess Pascalina Antoinette von Metternich - Sandor Winneburg (1862–1890)
- Countess Klementina Marie von Metternich - Sandor Winneburg († 1870)
Since his marriage produced three daughters, after his death, the title of "Prince von Metternich"passed to his half - brother, Paul von Metternich.
Memoirs
- Pauline Clementine Marie Walburga (Sándor von Szlavnicza) Fürstin von Metternich - Winneburg. The days that are no more : Some reminiscences . E. Nash & Grayson, London (1921). ASIN B000881512
- Pauline Clementine Marie Walburga (Sándor von Szlavnicza) Fürstin von Metternich - Winneburg. My years in Paris . E. Nash & Grayson, London (1922). ASIN B00085ZS7W
Literature
- Octave AubryOctave Aubry-Life:Aubry, Ernest Seillière, Jean Tharaud, René Grousset and Robert d'Harcourt were the five members of the Académie française elected on 1 February 1946, to replace the many vacancies left by the Nazi occupation of Europe...
, L 'Impératrice Eugénie , Paris 1937. - Jules Gesztesi, Pauline Metternich. Ambassadrice aux Tuileries , Paris 1947.
- Theophila Wassilko, Fürstin Pauline Metternich , München 1959.
- Brigitte HamannBrigitte HamannBrigitte Hamann Ph.D., is a German-Austrian author and historian based in Vienna.Born Brigitte Deitert in Essen, Germany, she studied history in Münster and Vienna and for a time worked as a journalist in her native Essen...
, Elisabeth. Kaiserin wider Willen , Wien 1982.