Luisa Casati

Luisa Casati Stampa di Soncino, Marchesa di Roma ( born January 23, 1881 in Milan, † 1 June 1957, London) was an Italian heiress, muse, patron of the arts, fashion icon and High Society Lady at the beginning of the 20th century in Europe.

Life

Luisa Adele Rosa Maria was the youngest daughter of a wealthy textile manufacturer Alberto Amman ( † 1896) and his wife Lucia Bressi († 1894). Her childhood revolved around perfect behavior and the social representation. She was taught entirely at home by governesses and tutors with the help of her father's library. In addition to geography, history, mathematics, art, dance and music - Luisa also learned French, German and English; it was considered a precocious and highly intelligent. The early death of her parents made ​​Luisa and her sister Francesca (1880-1919), later wife of Giulio Padulli to orphans and the wealthiest heiresses in Italy.

In 1900, Luisa Amman married in Milan Camillo Casati Stampa di aristocrats Soncino, Marchese di Roma ( 1877-1946 ). From the union a daughter emerged:

  • Christina (1901-1953)

In 1903, Marchesa Luisa met the writer Gabriele D' Annunzio ( 1863-1938 ) know and had a long affair with him. During this time she traveled a lot and quickly found contact with the European high society in London, Paris, Venice, Rome, Capri and Munich. The banquets, dance balls, garden parties, dinners, fox hunts, dances and costume balls of the European high - and money aristocracy were famous and filled the society columns of the newspapers. The more extravagant and scandalous were her life and love stories, was the greater the fascination that emanated from her. 1910, she bought the Palazzo Venier dei Venice in the Leoni on the Grand Canal, not far from Piazza San Marco and commissioned the best interior designers, carpenters and painters. The organized by Luisa Casati festivals were exceptional and imaginative - as the inauguration of its palace was celebrated in September 1913 with a costume ball in the style of the 18th century.

In portraits, sculptures and photographs of many artists immortalized, Luisa Casati became famous as the most painted woman in Italy. With many artists she was a personal friend, among others, Giovanni Boldini, Augustus John, Kees van Dongen, Romaine Brooks, Ignacio Zuloaga, Etienne Drian, Alberto Martini, Hans- Henning von Voigt, Giacomo Balla, Pavel Petrovich Troubetzkoy, Jacob Epstein, Man Ray, Cecil Beaton and Adolphe de Meyer. Her fascinating personality influenced writers of varying degrees so as Tennessee Williams, and Jack Kerouac. Their robes and costumes were designed by Léon Bakst, Paul Poiret, Mariano Fortuny and Erté. Wherever she was, she set trends.

Swarmed At the beginning of the century as the richest heiress in Italy, Marchesa Luisa Casati had depleted in the 1930s to flee to London, where, supported by friends, lived until her death in 1957. She was buried in the cemetery Brompton Cemetery.

Worth mentioning

  • Gabriele D' Annunzio created in 1910 with the figure of Isabella in his novel Forse che sì forse che no ( German: Maybe - maybe not ) a poetic monument.
  • The myth of Luisa Casati was performed in several theater and movies, among others, Theda Bara, Vivien Leigh, Tallulah Bankhead, Valentina Cortese and Ingrid Bergman.
  • Their way of life and their fashion style inspired today fashion designers, including John Galliano, Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford
Greyhound Adolph de Meyer Wogan Philipps, 2nd Baron Milford Paolo Troubetzkoy Integrated Authority File
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