Thursday, October 8, 2020

Désirée Clary as Crown Princess of Sweden

A rare miniature of Madame Bernadotte, the silk merchant's daughter who became Queen of Sweden. To quote:
Our brief research brought unexpected result - painted, as we are sure, in 1810 (the sitter stayed in Sweden only in this year, and came again only in 1823; besides that dress and hair-style also speak for this date) it is a very rare and extremely important miniature portrait of Désirée Clary (1777-1860), one-time fiancée of Napoleon Bonaparte, who instead of him married in 1798 his general, Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (1763-1844). The latter was elected in 1810 heir to the throne of Sweden; Désirée arrived to Stockholm shortly thereafter, but in a few months returned to France where she spent next thirteen years.... CLICK HERE FOR HER EXTENSIVE BIOGRAPHY.
The princess makes a brief appearance in the novel Madame Royale. Share