Gaye good morning what a copious harvest of exquisite women ! im lost for words . The silk taffeta of the Countess Alexander is positvely tactile and the shades of lilac and lavender are just tooo delicious . Im torn between taking the The grand duchess of russia ,the maria henrietta or the empress Eugenie!!do i see the circles of the black Galliano dress peeping in the corner ? aaaaaaaaaahhhhh so beautiful thankyou xx fay
I love these portraits by Winterhalter, in my opinion a much underrated artist. I think the two most successful ones are of Countess Shuvaiova and Marie Henriette of Austria - in those two, rich detail is offset by simple backgrounds.
24- I love the dresses-however I would have been a stark raving maniac if I had to wear all that! give me the dampened empire waists of the Regency I think!
Fay- Winterhalter had a thing for frocks surely. It was the picture so to speak.
Reggie darling- No doubt they do-remember it was the era of Victoria. Women that looked vapid were probably having difficulty breathing. Certainly it didn't pay to paint the ladies as intellects especially when the husbands had to pay. I think for W. it was all about the dress-but they are delicious!
I have always had a soft spot for Franz Xaver Winterhalter. As a child I was so struck by the portrait of the Empress Elizabeth (Sissi) whom I am a big fan of. He captured the beauty of all the women he portrayed, and his rendering of the gorgeous gowns and jewels is amazing.
yes you re right Gaye he certainly did . thinking of you all day as I sat on lavender chairs next to lilac curtins and looking at violet flowers !! ill put them on my next !
its true the YSL would be more comfortable but i can help thinking that dresses like the Grand Duchess wore would make one feel rather special fortunately thats ONE problem we dont have !
More beautiful lavender confections...why don't we dress like this anymore?
ReplyDeletexo J~
Gaye good morning what a copious harvest of exquisite women ! im lost for words . The silk taffeta of the Countess Alexander is positvely tactile and the shades of lilac and lavender are just tooo delicious . Im torn between taking the The grand duchess of russia ,the maria henrietta or the empress Eugenie!!do i see the circles of the black Galliano dress peeping in the corner ?
ReplyDeleteaaaaaaaaaahhhhh so beautiful thankyou xx fay
Lovely. Is it just me, or has it ever struck you that many of Winterhaler's subject appear to be rather dim?
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. This is an exceptionally beautiful post. Makes one want to find a frock in lavender. Thanks and have a beautiful weekend
ReplyDeleteI love these portraits by Winterhalter, in my opinion a much underrated artist. I think the two most successful ones are of Countess Shuvaiova and Marie Henriette of Austria - in those two, rich detail is offset by simple backgrounds.
ReplyDelete24- I love the dresses-however I would have been a stark raving maniac if I had to wear all that! give me the dampened empire waists of the Regency I think!
ReplyDeleteFay- Winterhalter had a thing for frocks surely. It was the picture so to speak.
Reggie darling- No doubt they do-remember it was the era of Victoria. Women that looked vapid were probably having difficulty breathing. Certainly it didn't pay to paint the ladies as intellects especially when the husbands had to pay. I think for W. it was all about the dress-but they are delicious!
ReplyDeleteHelen- Yes it does- I prefer the early Jean Shrimpton look!
ReplyDeleteMark- His is the perfect study for lavish fashion of the era.
Winterhalter was amazing. No wonder he was commissioned to paint the European royals.
ReplyDeleteI have always had a soft spot for Franz Xaver Winterhalter. As a child I was so struck by the portrait of the Empress Elizabeth (Sissi) whom I am a big fan of. He captured the beauty of all the women he portrayed, and his rendering of the gorgeous gowns and jewels is amazing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful inspiration for lavender.
Cheers,
Claudia
Oh my, did I misspell Elisabeth?! I clearly have lived in the US too long. :)
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Claudia
yes you re right Gaye he certainly did . thinking of you all day as I sat on lavender chairs next to lilac curtins and looking at violet flowers !! ill put them on my next !
ReplyDeleteits true the YSL would be more comfortable but i can help thinking that dresses like the Grand Duchess wore would make one feel rather special
fortunately thats ONE problem we dont have !