|
DIAMONDS IN FASHION: II
|
||
|
|
||
|
Austria,
the Austria of Francis Joseph, of Strauss, and of Kathie Schratt, was
to become another great center of jeweled fashions. Kathie, quiet,
dignified mistress of Francis Joseph, the last of the royal magnificos,
was the center of a social world that took her unconventional
relationship with its leader as a right by royal decree. She lived in
Hietzing Villa, the yellow, ornately decorated retreat to which Francis
Joseph used to come from near-by Schonbrunn for early breakfasts, there
to be greeted by his "Gracious Lady" in full court regalia glittering
with jewels.
The
emperor, most generous in his gifts, showered upon her the finest gems
available to a lavish court, and these were set in the richest
craftsmanship available in a world of luxury and beauty. Kathie's type
of figure was effective for the display of jewels, and the royal lover
delighted to see her thus bedecked. Once he sent her a wild boar of
unusually good points which he had bagged on a hunt. Around its neck
was a magnificent necklace of diamonds; on its ears were great
sparkling solitaire earrings; bracelets adorned the legs; and, as if
that weren't enough, a huge pendant breastpin dangled from the chest.
With the passÂing of this lush world, darkened by the first World War
and wiped out entirely by the emperor's death, Katherine Schratt
retired from society to live with her memories. She disposed of all her
jewels, receiving a large fortune for them.
England
was to receive its first real taste of royal jewelry display with the
arrival of Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536). The Spanish princess
astounded the conservative English when she came to marry Prince Arthur
almost litÂerally covered with gems. At her bridal she wore upon her
head a coif of white silk with a scarf bordered with gold,
(181)
|
||
|
|
||