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Lot Essay
Elisabeth-Auguste married her cousin Charles Theodore (Karl-Philipp-Theodor von der Pfalz), Elector of Bavaria (1724-1799) in 1741. The marriage was arranged in order to prevent a potential inheritance dispute between the various branches of the family. Initially, Elisabeth Auguste exercised considerable influence over her husband and, during the Seven Years’ War, is reported to have played a central role in Palatine foreign policy. Their marriage produced only one child, Francis Louis Joseph, stillborn in 1761. Thereafter, the couple lived largely apart, each forming relationships with other partners. Charles Theodore’s subsequent official mistresses, including the dancer Françoise Despres-Verneuil and later Josefa Seiffert, were a source of humiliation to Elisabeth Augusta.
From 1768, Elisabeth Auguste established her own court at Schloss Oggersheim, making only formal visits to her husband’s court until 1781. She was particularly popular in the Palatinate, although she disliked the more austere Bavarian court. In late 1793, following the advance of French troops, she fled to Weinheim, where she died in 1794. Charles Theodore subsequently married Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este.
In 1767 the Electress Palatine, newly installed at Schloss Oggersheim, ordered a new service described in the castle inventory of 1769. This service, which comprised at least two soup tureens (pots à oille) and no fewer than thirty-one dish covers (two sold at Christie's, Paris, 24 June 2009, lot 35), was produced over the course of two years in Strasbourg, a city close to the Palatinate and renowned for its goldsmiths’ work.
Jean-Louis III Imlin executed the greater part of the service, but following his death in 1768, Jean-Henri Oertel and Jacques-Henri Alberti completed the commission. The latter made the final deliveries in 1770, 1772, and 1779-1780.
In her will, drawn up in 1778, Elisabeth Auguste bequeathed to 'my dear niece, Princess Marie Anne of Zweibrücken (...) the silver service and all the table silver kept at Oggersheim.' The service remained in the family until after the First World War, when part of it was sold to the Paris dealer Jacques Helft, whilst part was sold at Christie’s, London, 17 October 1951. Further pieces have reappeared on the market, such as the portion of the service offered in the Collection of Georg Ortiz, Sotheby’s, New York, 18 October 2001, lot 111, acquired by the Kurpfälzisches Museum, Heidelberg.
For other elements of this service, see A. Kugel, P. Bastian and P. Loeb-Obrenan, Vermeilleux ! L’argent doré de Strasbourg du XVIe au XIXe siècle, Paris, 2014, no. 55.
From 1768, Elisabeth Auguste established her own court at Schloss Oggersheim, making only formal visits to her husband’s court until 1781. She was particularly popular in the Palatinate, although she disliked the more austere Bavarian court. In late 1793, following the advance of French troops, she fled to Weinheim, where she died in 1794. Charles Theodore subsequently married Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este.
In 1767 the Electress Palatine, newly installed at Schloss Oggersheim, ordered a new service described in the castle inventory of 1769. This service, which comprised at least two soup tureens (pots à oille) and no fewer than thirty-one dish covers (two sold at Christie's, Paris, 24 June 2009, lot 35), was produced over the course of two years in Strasbourg, a city close to the Palatinate and renowned for its goldsmiths’ work.
Jean-Louis III Imlin executed the greater part of the service, but following his death in 1768, Jean-Henri Oertel and Jacques-Henri Alberti completed the commission. The latter made the final deliveries in 1770, 1772, and 1779-1780.
In her will, drawn up in 1778, Elisabeth Auguste bequeathed to 'my dear niece, Princess Marie Anne of Zweibrücken (...) the silver service and all the table silver kept at Oggersheim.' The service remained in the family until after the First World War, when part of it was sold to the Paris dealer Jacques Helft, whilst part was sold at Christie’s, London, 17 October 1951. Further pieces have reappeared on the market, such as the portion of the service offered in the Collection of Georg Ortiz, Sotheby’s, New York, 18 October 2001, lot 111, acquired by the Kurpfälzisches Museum, Heidelberg.
For other elements of this service, see A. Kugel, P. Bastian and P. Loeb-Obrenan, Vermeilleux ! L’argent doré de Strasbourg du XVIe au XIXe siècle, Paris, 2014, no. 55.