On this day in history, November 29, 1899, died Virginia Verasis Asinari née Oldoini, countess of Castiglione.
Nothing remained except for her to stage the spectacle of her death. She planned it meticulously, entrusting her last wishes, among others, to the Cléry spouses, to her friend René Bizard, to Estancelin. «No heirs...and no relatives, neither in France nor in Italy.» Newspapers had to be paid to ensure that they refrained from giving news of her death. The only people who had to be informed were the King of Italy and the Rothschilds. The burial clothing was specified meticulously: «Nightgown from Compiègne, 1857, batiste lace and long striped nightgown, black velvet, white peluche (it's at 14 rue Cambon); around my neck the nine turn petite fille pearl necklace, six white and three black [turns], the usual necklace, the one I've always worn, with the crystal pierced prong as a clasp, with my initials and the crown, well known to all my modistes; on my arms, bare and outstretched, my two bracelets, an onyx with a pearl in the centre and a black emanel, star and glitters, that are elsewhere.» At her feet, as pillows, she wanted Sandouga and Kasino, her two stuffed maltese dogs «pretty, dressed for the occasion, tiny light blue and purple coats with [their] initials, and collars with pink flowers and cypresses motifs.» And in conclusion, she repeated her last wishes: «1) No Cross. 2) No Priest. 3) No Church. 4) No Ceremony. 5) No Flowers. 6) No Exposition. 7) No Vigil. 8) No Physician. 9) No Judge. 10) No Commissioner. 11) No Consul. 12) No Ambassador. 13) No Special Envoy. 14) No Seals. 15) No Heirs. 16) No Procession. 17) No Mortuary. 18) No Holdings. 19) No Announcements. 20) No Newspapers.»
Invoked and feared, her death arrived on November 29, 1899, at the first hours of the morning. Struck by cerebral apoplexy, Virginia passed away quietly, under the watch of her elderly maid Luisa Corsi and the [restaurant] Voisin's waiting staff. She was sixty-two years old.
kaledo-art
prguitarman
tangentwithtanner
jbbartram-illu
vaporwave
ellievsbear
blakekathryn
annaxmalina
