Sunday, April 17, 2011

Yay or Nay? Lovisa Ulrika

The maternity-wear of Natalia Alexeievna set many people's sentimental hearts a-flutter.  The tartly and short-lived princess earned herself a Yay for the effort.  Well, I don't know about you but I can't help but be buzzing about a certain wedding this week.  You should all know how very difficult it is to find an era-appropriate portrait of a woman in her wedding gown!


Antoine Pesne's followers recreate the artist's 1744 painting of Lovisa Ulrika in what is thought to be her ivory wedding gown.  Yay or Nay?

26 comments:

  1. Yay, Yay, and Yay... did I mention Yay?

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  2. Oh, definitely Yay! I love... well, I love the whole thing! What a gorgeous wedding dress.

    I'll bet the bridesmaid gowns were horrible though. ;)

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  3. Yay! it's a lovely gown. although, i'm not too sure about the royal blue blanket thing with the ivory dress. I think it clashes a little.

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  4. Beautiful,beautiful gown,beautiful hair,i would love to see some more liveliness thought.A yay from me:)

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  5. Oh, yay! I especially love the contrast of the blue.

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  6. Very, very, very yay!

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  7. very elegant, though i think i would have accessorized more! >:D

    big yay

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  8. Yay, ofcourse!

    I've seen other portraits of Lovisa Ulrika in this dress...

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  9. Yay, because it's gorgeous and rich looking and just exactly something befitting a royal wedding gown.

    I think I might have finally figured out what bothers me about so many of these types of paintings though. Did none of these women have any decolletage? Or was it a huge no-no to paint? I mean, they all look like they have no boobs! Like the body area between their neck and the neckline of the gown is overly flat and uncomplimentary. Maybe it's me, but I really think that's one of the things that has so bothered me about all of these.

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  10. Awesome dress! That said, it could do with some accessories like a choker and perhaps some cleavage? A big yay if I assume we caught her in the midst of getting ready.

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  11. Definitely a yay! It's beautiful, but not too over-the-top.

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  12. Yay, although she could definitely use some jewelry. Her neck and upper chest are way too bare. I also generally don't care for bodices that are too conical in shape, but the dress itself is lovely, so yay.

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  13. I'm loving the beautiful pearl color and it's elegant simplicity.
    A thousand times YAY!!

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  14. Well, her expression is kind of odd, and I'm not sure about the tassel on her waist (what is up with that? why would that ever be a good idea?), but I do like the blue cloak. I think as a wedding it's kind of romantic, so yay.

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  15. There are very similar portraits were she has more jewelry, like this (rather bad copy):

    http://carlotta.gotlib.goteborg.se/zoom/532/GM_19405_bild1.jpg

    The groom wore a rather lovely suit in silver fabric.

    I think the tassel is part of how the very long train was attached to the gown.

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  16. I hadn't seen that one, thank you!

    Originally I wanted to use this version http://tinyurl.com/4xlzsya but it looks so awful it would not be fair to judge. But yes, she wears jewelery in that more original version! I love the choker in it!

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  17. yay (and not just because my name is Lovisa in German)

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  18. Yay, but I wish someone had adorned that wide expanse of creamy neck and bosom with a strand of pearls or the like.

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  19. Absolutely, for sure, no question about it, YAY YAY YAY!! This is the most I've like one in a long time. Beautiful!

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  20. Definite yay. I'm not even sure why I like it so much, but something about it just makes her look so classy and so pretty. It's just a great, 18th century wedding dress.

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  22. I love those pearls she wears in her hair. Certainly a big Yay!

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  23. Yay, the dress is beautiful!

    I agree with night music, that's been bothering me too.

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  24. I know of more paintings showing Lovisa Ulrika in - "what is thought to be" - her wedding gown. Since Isis linked one more version, let me do the same...

    1. Miniature painting, by unknown, Nationalmuseum: http://webart.nationalmuseum.se/work/imageresize.aspx?id=28535&size=0

    2.Oil on canvas, by Antoine Pesne, Nationalmuseum: http://webart.nationalmuseum.se/work/imageresize.aspx?id=39362&size=0

    3. Oil on canvas, by Antoine Pesne - his atelier, Nationalmuseum: http://webart.nationalmuseum.se/work/imageresize.aspx?id=14985&size=0

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