A series of sewing and embroidery objects that belonged to Maria LuigiaFondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi
Marie Louise travelled very often, for shorter or longer periods of time. The complex organization of her transfers was facilitated by several trunks that allowed her to always carry with her everything necessary to meet her needs, pastimes and interests.
Sewing and embroidery kit
About ten years: this is the time that the Duchess, in her more than thirty years of government, passed away from the Emilian duchies.
Marie Louise would travel often and for different reasons:
health, politics, leisure, affections, personal interests.
Box containing Maria Luigia's work tools (1810) by French manifactureFondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi
This refined wooden casket, covered in red Moroccan leather with golden indentations, contains dozens of small work tools.
Scissors, thimbles, crochet needles, crochet hooks, shuttles, skeins different colors and yarns are neatly housed in special compartments, compartments and drawers that make up the two levels of the trunk.
Always being busy and hard-working: this was one of the guiding principles in the Duchess’ life and keeping her hands busy and her mind occupied was an essential aspect of her daily life.
Embroidery, sewing, packaging of small handmade objects were regularly practiced by Marie Louise.
A lower drawer, which opens laterally, allows bringing out a writing top covered in leather.
Box containing Maria Luigia's work tools (1810) by French manifactureFondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi
Portable box with painting equipment that belonged to Maria Luigia (First half of the 19th Century) by Unknown manufactureFondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi
The Painting Kit
This kit - customized with the ML monogram on the lid - contains color paint sticks, brushes, pencils, straws, glass bottles and ceramic bowls housed in their appropriate compartments.
Among the main passions of Marie Louise is painting, together with music and embroidery. The Duchess particularly favored the watercolor technique, which she continued to perfect as an adult.
In both Austria and France and later in Parma the Habsburg took painting lessons from important masters, who made her an artist of great technical ability. Her predilection was for landscape painting, small in size, often drawn from life.
Travel desk that belonged to Maria Luigia (First half of the 19th Century) by Unknown factoryFondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi
Writing
kit/Portable
writing desk
This writing kit, once again conceived to be used during her travels, opens up and turns into a writing desk supplied with everything one may need to write letters, suitably customized: pens, inkwells, styluses, nibs, nib holder, penwipers, sealing wax, stamps.
In the 1800s, in the absence of modern means of communication, writing was the only means of staying in touch between distant people and being updated primarily on each other's states of health.
People used to write much, writing was a necessity and even Marie Louise devoted several hours of her day to this task both for personal and government reasons.
The space was divided by the various days of the week and the types of letters (to be answered, already answers and different notes): an admirable example of modern organizer!
Portable fishing box that belonged to Maria Luigia (First half of the 19th Century) by Unknown manufactureFondazione Museo Glauco Lombardi
Fishing kit
It may seem unusual, but the
Duchess not only owned this case, but really went fishing, although
she practiced this activity occasionally.
The trunk - as always customized with the monogram "ML" – is subdivided into different compartments on several floors.
They contain a modular bamboo fishing rod, a net with repair shuttles, floats, plumb bobs, fishing wires and hooks with artificial flies, made of chenille and beads.
Text by Francesca Sandrini, director of the Glauco Lombardi Museum Foundation
