Social Victorians/People/Clary Aldringen

Also Known As

• Family name: his, Graf von Clary und Andringen; hers, Kinsky

Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies

Friends

• William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland

Organizations

• Austro-Hungarian embassy in London (1895–1897)

Timeline

1885, Therese Marie Franzisca Judith Gräfin Kinsky and Siegfried Graf von Clary und Aldringen married in Vienna.

1895–1897, Siegfried Graf von Clary und Aldringen was counselor at the Austro-Hungarian embassy in London.

1897 July 2, Friday, the Count and Countess Clary-Aldringen attended the Duchess of Devonshire's Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House along with her sister, Countess Josephine Kinsky, as well as Countess Isabel Deym and Count Kinsky. (Thérèse, Countess Clary-Aldringen is #191 the list of people who attended; Count Siegfried Clary is #205.)

Thérèse (née Kinsky), Countess Clary-Aldringen in costume as Napoleon's sister, the Queen of Naples. ©National Portrait Gallery, London.

David's Coronation of Napoleon, with detail of his sisters

Costume at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 Fancy-dress Ball

Thérèse, Countess Clary

At the Duchess of Devonshire’s 1897 Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball, Thérèse, Countess Clary-Aldringen sat at Table 9 at the first seating for supper and appeared as Napoleon's sister, Caroline, Queen of Naples.

Henry Van der Weyde's portrait of Thérèse (née Kinsky), Countess Clary-Aldringen as the Queen of Naples in costume is photogravure #36 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "Countess Clary as the Queen of Naples," with a Long S in Countess.

Newspaper Descriptions of Her Costume

• Countess Clary-Aldringen "represented [one of] the three sisters of Napoleon, from an Isabey engraving."
• "Countess Clary, Countess Kinsky, and Countess Isabel Deym were dressed as the three sisters of Napoleon I."
• "Countess Isabel Deym, ... and Countess Kinsky created quite a sensation as Napoleon’s three sisters, in exquisite Empire dresses of white crêpe de chine, embroidered with gold and jewelled with pearls both black and white."
• Her name may be misspelled as Countess Clay in the Belfast News-Letter.
• "Countess Clary, Countess Kinsky, and Countess Isabel Deym went as the three sisters of Napoleon I., in dresses which were perfect copies of an engraving by Isabey. All three being tall, handsome, and graceful, the effect was excellent." (42, Col. 1c)
• A "very effective trio was formed by the Countess Clary d'Aldringen, Countess Isabel Deym, and Countess Kinsky, as the three sisters of Napoleon."
• "Countess Clary represented Countess Kinsky. Countess Cadogan, as Queen of Bohemia, wore black velvet; the white satin panel studded with diamonds and worked at Lady Duncannon’s school; the bodice had puffed sleeves and lace ruffles, rows of pearls round the waist."

Queen of Naples

Her dress matches that of her sister, Countess Josephine Kinsky. Perhaps the original of Isabey's engraving mentioned in the newspaper reports is Jacques-Louis David's famous The Coronation of Napoleon (Le Sacre de Napoléon) (right), completed in 1807. This large, complex painting has a number of very specific portraits, including some of Napoleon's sisters in dresses similar to this one worn at the ball. This painting was the source for several costumes at the ball, besides Countess Clary, Countess Kinsky, and Countess Isabel Deym, who were dressed as Napoleon's three sisters. Candida, Marchioness of Tweeddale, for example, was dressed as Joséphine, Napoleon's wife, at her coronation.

Prince Siegfried von Clary-Aldringen when Count von Clary-Aldringen in costume as Count Nadasdy. ©National Portrait Gallery, London.

Count Siegfried Clary

Count Siegfried Clary sat at Table 11 and was dressed as General Count Nadasdy in the Austrian Court of Maria Theresa Quadrille.

Henry Van der Weyde's portrait (left) of Prince Siegfried von Clary-Aldringen when Count von Clary-Aldringen as Count Nadasdy in costume is photogravure #37 in the album presented to the Duchess of Devonshire and now in the National Portrait Gallery. The printing on the portrait says, "Count Clary as Count Nadasdy."

One famous Násady was general and count during the reign of Maria Thérèse, Franz Leopold von Nádasdy auf Fogaras (1708–1783). Franz Leopold von Násady auf Fogaras was one of two very important Hungarians during the Empress's time, the other being Count András Hadik de Futak, personated at the ball by Count Hadik.

• The Queen says, "Count Clary was in the French quadrille."

Count Kinsky

Count Kinsky, probably a distant relation of Thérèse, Countess Clary, is treated on the Kinsky page.

Demographics

• Nationality: Austro-Hungarian

Family

• Thérèse Marie Franzisca Judith Gräfin Kinsky (10 December 1867 – 1943)
• Siegfried Graf von Clary und Aldringen (14 October 1848 – 11 February 1929)

1. Elizabeth Alexandrina Gräfin von Clary und Aldringen (14 December 1885 – )
2. Alfons Maria Graf von Clary und Aldringen (12 March 1887 – )
3. Sophie Marie Gräfin von Clary und Aldringen (2 September 1891 – )

Relations

• Countess Josephine Kinsky, who married the Hereditary Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg on 27 September 1898.
• Count Charles or Karl Kinsky
• Prince Siegfried, Count Clary und Aldringen's brother was Count Manfred (1852–1928), minister-president of Austria.