Museum Alert

The news last night mentioned that an interesting piece will be on view in Vienna for the rest of the year.

The emperor Franz Josef married Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria in 1854. The ceremony itself was fairly private. Afterwards the embroidered parts of her gown were used to create a cope for the pilgimage church of Maria Taferl, where it was in use into the 1950s. Snce then it has kept been in the church treasury. It was not clear whether on display or not. This year the church and treasury are being renovated, and this piece will be on display at the 'Sisi Museum' in the Hofburg. From the pictures I saw it is lovely work in silver thread, and I am looking forward to seeing it. They said it would be in one of the side rooms of the museum.

Interesting note: there does not seem to be any record of what the gown looked like before it was cut apart. A call has been put out for anyone with private diaries that might include any information about this should let the appropriate office know. As only family and court members were present, and the journalists and public never got to see the gown, this is only possible for a few people to have.

Anyway, if gold and silver embroidery is your thing, and you are in Vienna this year, make a short visit to the Sisi museum after seeing the Imperial Treasury. BTW, many of the vestments in the treasury were probably made in a similar fashion. Not, of course, the major sets, but the simpler individual pieces.