450:, where she had the rooms decorated in funeral black, the blinds kept drawn, and mirrors banished—apparently so she would not have to confront her advancing age and loss of beauty. She would leave the apartment only at night. In the 1890s she began a brief collaboration with Pierson again, though her later photographs clearly show her loss of any critical judgement, possibly due to her growing mental instability. She wished to set up an exhibit of her photographs at the
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to
Marquis Filippo Oldoini Rapallini and Isabella Lamporecchi, members of the minor Tuscan nobility; she was often known by her nickname of "Nicchia". Ignored by her father, she was educated by her grandfather Ranieri Lamporecchi. She married Francesco Verasis, Count of Castiglione, at the age of 17.
399:
to help her create 700 different photographs in which she re-created the signature moments of her life for the camera. She spent a large part of her personal fortune and even went into debt to execute this project. Most of the photographs depict the
Countess in theatrical outfits, such as the Queen
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painted her portrait in 1857. She was described as having long, wavy blonde hair, a fair complexion, a delicate oval face, and eyes that constantly changed colour from green to an extraordinary blue-violet.
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of Hearts dress. A number of photographs depict her in poses that were risqué for the era – notably, images that expose her bare legs and feet. In these photos, her head is cropped out.
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The
Countess was known for her beauty and her flamboyant entrances in elaborate dress at the imperial court. One of her most infamous outfits was a "Queen of Hearts" costume.
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to explain to him how the German occupation of Paris could be fatal to his interests. She may have been persuasive because Paris was spared
Prussian occupation.
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was proclaimed, conceivably in part due to the influence that the
Countess had exerted on Napoleon III. That same year, she returned to France and settled in
278:), and later of reunited Italy. When the Count and Countess traveled to Paris in 1855, the Countess was under her cousin's instructions to plead the cause of
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In 1856 she began sitting for Mayer and
Pierson, photographers favored by the imperial court. Over the next four decades she directed
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authored an appreciation of the
Countess that appeared as a preface to Montesquiou's work. It was also published on its own in 1973.
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In 1856–1857, she entered the social circle of
European royalty. During her relationship with the French emperor, she met
732:, review of an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art September 19, 2000 – December 31, 2000, accessed 30 March 2005
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410:, and avid art collector, was fascinated by the Countess di Castiglione. He spent thirteen years writing a biography,
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665:"La contessa di Castiglione in una prosa di D'Annunzio" (Rome, 1973), Mario Vecchioni, ed.; Tommaso Antongini,
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454:, though this did not happen. She died on 28 November 1899, at the age of sixty-two, and was buried at the
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791:, catalog for a 2000 exhibition of the Countess de Castiglione photos at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
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The
Countess returned to Italy in 1857 when her affair with Napoleon III was over. Four years later, the
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785:, notice of an exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay October 12, 1999 – January 23, 2000, accessed 30 March 2005
286:. She achieved notoriety by becoming Napoleon III's mistress, a scandal that led her husband to demand
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Virginia
Elisabetta Luisa Carlotta Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoini Rapallini (
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39 (Winter 1986): 65-108. Reprinted in Emily Apter and William Pletz, eds.,
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Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Carlotta Antonietta Teresa Maria Oldoini Rapallini
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Review of "La Divine Comtesse": Photographs of the Countess de Castiglione
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of France. She was also a significant figure in the early history of
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Virginie Élisabeth Louise Charlotte Antoinette Thérèse Marie Oldoini
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Portrait of the Countess di Castiglione painted in Paris in 1862 by
680:"Nathalie Léger: Exposition review – mysteries, rumours and facts"
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743:(Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 38-75
789:"La Divine Comtesse": Photographs of the Countess de Castiglione
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La Castiglione, d’après sa correspondence et son journal inédits
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La divine comtesse: photographs of the Countess de Castiglione
771:(Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1993), 266-306
778:(NY: Macmillan, 1957), Ch. 6: "The Countess of Castiglione"
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Virginia spent her declining years in an apartment in the
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He was twelve years her senior. They had a son, Giorgio.
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Short article in Artnet about the Countess de Castiglione
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The Countess's life was depicted in a 1942 Italian film,
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Abigail Solomon-Godeau, "The Legs of the Countess," in
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Five Countess de Castiglione photos can be found here
195:(23 March 1837 – 28 November 1899), better known as
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Whistler and Montesquiou: The Butterfly and the Bat
425:"The Opera Ball", Pierre-Louis Pierson, 1861-1867,
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Virginia Oldoini Rapallini, Countess of Castiglione
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309:. She had many lovers, including a banker of the
809:Metropolitan Museum of Art: "La Divine Comtesse"
741:The Modern Portrait in Nineteenth Century France
739:: (Re)presenting the Anatomy of a Countess," in
606:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
203:who achieved notoriety as a mistress of Emperor
776:Gaslight and Shadow: The World of Napoleon III
589:. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011
138:Photographic artist and supposed secret agent
8:
552:Maurizio Lupo; Sara Anlero (June 30, 2019).
313:and the then director of the Louvre Museum.
290:. In 1855, she had a brief affair with King
27:Italian aristocrat, photographer (1837–1899)
751:La Dame de Coeur, un amour de Napoléon III]
348:, she was called to a secret meeting with
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491:The Countess was painted by the artist
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566:from the original on January 30, 2020
554:"Il taccuino proibito della contessa"
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711:(Librairie académique Perrin, 1953)
942:19th-century Italian photographers
917:People of the Second French Empire
887:19th-century Italian women artists
478:, and a 1954 Italian-French film,
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877:Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
498:The Countess is also depicted in
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897:19th-century women photographers
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158:Francesco Verasis di Castiglione
769:Fetishism as Cultural Discourse
700:Hamish Bowles, "Vain Glory" in
238:) was born on 22 March 1837 in
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1:
937:Grand Duchy of Tuscany people
533:Michele Falzone del Barbarò,
452:Exposition Universelle (1900)
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704:(Aug 2000), 242–245, 270-271
294:, who nicknamed her "Nini".
254:, was the prime minister of
46:The Countess of Castiglione
907:Italian emigrants to France
892:Italian women photographers
843:(scroll down to the middle)
716:La comtesse de Castiglione
475:The Countess of Castiglione
292:Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
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872:Mistresses of Napoleon III
723:La contessa di Castiglione
623:"Portrait of the Countess"
435:Metropolitan Museum of Art
416:Metropolitan Museum of Art
34:Virginia Oldoini Rapallini
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749:Isaure de Saint-Pierre,
340:In 1871, just after the
252:Camillo, Count of Cavour
69:, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
902:Italian artists' models
643:, accessed May 28, 2010
641:, no. 656 (August 2001)
625:, accessed May 28, 2010
612:, accessed May 28, 2010
509:She inspired the novel
147:Countess of Castiglione
88:, French Third Republic
18:Countess of Castiglione
932:Nobility from Florence
753:(Albin Michel, 2006),
725:(Milan: Rusconi, 1978)
504:The Queen of the Night
456:Père Lachaise Cemetery
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389:Photographs by Pierson
299:Augusta of Saxe-Weimar
284:Napoleon III of France
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98:Père Lachaise Cemetery
922:Women in war in Italy
584:Metropolitan Museum:
562:(in Italian). Turin.
493:Jacques-Émile Blanche
481:The Contessa's Secret
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404:Robert de Montesquiou
318:George Frederic Watts
222:
824:(with sample photos)
818:(with sample photos)
735:Heather McPherson, "
427:Gelatin silver print
406:, a Symbolist poet,
397:Pierre-Louis Pierson
262:(that included also
171: 1854;
774:Roger L. Williams,
721:Massimo Grillandi,
587:""Queen of Hearts""
467:Gabriele D'Annunzio
356:Photographic artist
346:Franco-Prussian War
325:Italian unification
115: /
912:19th-century spies
882:Victor Emmanuel II
867:House of Bonaparte
833:2010-06-21 at the
814:2021-06-10 at the
783:"Indepth Art News"
781:aboutthearts.com:
737:La Divine Comtesse
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412:La Divine Comtesse
288:marital separation
256:Victor Emmanuel II
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225:Michele Gordigiani
730:"Gotham Dispatch"
669:(1938, 1971), 214
495:after her death.
350:Otto von Bismarck
311:Rothschild family
303:Otto von Bismarck
199:, was an Italian
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94:Burial place
80:(1899-11-28)
862:1899 deaths
857:1837 births
747:(in French)
728:Max Henry,
635:(in French)
442:Later years
268:Val d'Aosta
209:photography
122: /
851:Categories
667:D'Annunzio
593:2005-03-29
521:References
511:Exposition
458:in Paris.
371:Circa 1860
215:Early life
201:aristocrat
107:48°51′36″N
559:La Stampa
502:'s novel
110:2°23′46″E
831:Archived
812:Archived
639:Historia
621:Artnet:
602:cite web
564:Archived
264:Piedmont
240:Florence
183:Children
67:Florence
765:October
695:Sources
344:in the
272:Liguria
244:Tuscany
177:
165:
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50:1863/66
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537:(2000)
462:Legacy
232:French
153:Spouse
702:Vogue
429:from
408:dandy
335:Passy
282:with
276:Savoy
167:(
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143:Title
86:Paris
793:ISBN
755:ISBN
608:link
572:2020
305:and
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