Christening Set, donated by Maria Theresa

At court, christenings were not a family affair but a festive act of

state to introduce the newborn child into public life. The baptism

followed a precise ceremonial and took place a few hours or, at the latest, the day after the birth in a room prepared especially for the occasion in the respective residence (Hofburg, Schönbrunn, Laxenburg) in which the confinement had taken place. The child to be baptised initially wore a gown, was placed on a cushion, covered with a small blanket (coverlet), and carried into the baptismal room. A second, larger coverlet decorated the table next to the altar, where the gown was removed and the child was dressed in a lighter

batiste gown (Inv. No. WS XIV 11) before the baptism. Commissioned by Maria Theresa, the present baptismal set was used in its entirety only once, at the baptism of the daughter of Joseph II. The pearl trimmings from three older baptismal sets in the Treasury were reused in making the new set. © Masterpieces of the Secular Treasury, Edited by Wilfried Seipel, Vienna 2008