Zprávy památkové péče 2013, 73(5):427-431

Countess Elvira of Wrbna-Kaunitz and her influence on the fate of the furniture collections in the Chateau in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou

Lucie Bláhová, Jana Petrová

The life story of Countess Elvira Wrbna-Kaunitz takes place during the period of disintegration of the old social order, while in the background of these historical events the social and cultural motivations of the aristocracy to preserve the furniture collections of their families was changing as well. The relationship of the Countess to her collecting activities clearly shows that she regarded these objects only from a personal perspective and used them to satisfy her needs and tastes with no effort to build a family monument with a higher cultural significance. Her attempts to lose none of her personal exclusive social standing, even at the cost of economic decline, was coupled with the dissolution of her family and negotiations that ignored the limits of moral principles. Eventually, however, these efforts cost Countess Elvira of Wrbna-Kaunitz all her family property. After the death of her husband Count Rudolf Christian of Wrbna-Kaunitz, she inherited the estates in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, which were indebted beyond the amount of their total value. The debt continued to grow despite the Countess' efforts to stop the decline. She sold off the furniture of the Jaroměřice Chateau, even though by 1924 it was under the protection of the State and according to valid law could not be sold without the consent of the Ministry of Education. When even the sale of movable property did not stop her financial downfall, the Countess entered into cooperation with the authorities of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. In collaboration with her future daughter-in-law, she turned her creditor in to the Gestapo. The isolated act of an individual in this life story is part of a broader process of the efforts of the aristocracy.

Keywords: portraits; photography; collections; Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou; furniture collections

Published: December 1, 2013  Show citation