The Bedroom of Duchess Marie Louise of Hasburg

Among the most emblematic works of the Museum, there are some watercolors by the painter Giuseppe Naudin that portrayed a part of the rooms of the destroyed the Ducal Palace of Parma - the town residence of Marie Louise.

The only surviving testimonies of those interiors - which the painter knew well and could draw from life - are views of great interest and emblematic for taste and styles of furniture and decorations. We dwell on the watercolor that portrays the Duchess's bedroom.

The room
The environment strikes for its small size, especially considering the rank of the person who slept there. The confined space was however an important condition to ensure an effective and sufficient heating of the room, in which the pink marble fireplace visible on the right, surmounted by mirror, was the source of heat. Marie Louise suffered from various ailments, she was often sick and it was essential for her to have a well-heated room.

The walls

On the visible walls of the room there are numerous paintings, all small in size and many depicting family members, to indicate their affective value, as if in her intimacy Marie Louise wished to surround herself with her most loved ones, often far away.

The portraits of two of the four children she had had with General Neipperg and his first wife can be found above the bed. The appearance of Erwin and Gustav Neipperg, effigy of the Viennese painter Johann Ender and still contained in the same frame as in the watercolor of Naudin, are on display today in the Hall of the Loved Ones of the Museum.

The furnishings

A bed, a secretaire desk, a settee, a cabinet, a chair and a stool make up all the furnishings of this environment, dominated by the blue and light blue colors dear to the Duchess. The furniture still conforms to the empire style, with columns, gilding and the use of ebony, but the taste is already Biedermeier with its harmonious sobriety.

On the desk, styles and paper recall the Duchess's passion (which was also a necessity) for writing. The two cords on the walls with terminal tassel serve as bells to call servants.