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Text: Veronica Carousel (Around the World)

The madcap, the witch, the gorgon Medusa with hair "soaked in caviar and champagne", she - "an allegory of sickening greatness" with ruby claws - spoke of her alone. Goddess, dazzling Persephone, "living metamorphosis", eternal muse - others said.

Marquise Luisa Casati by Baron Adolph de Meyer, 1912

The Marquise Casati evoked strange feelings among her contemporaries: for outside observers she was a rich eccentric, for those close to her who knew her well, she was a delicate, refined, intelligent aesthetic. Artists painted her tirelessly - in them she kindled a fire. And one of the most fashionable poets of the era, the famous heartthrob Gabriele d "Annunzio, fell in love with her at first sight.

And so what if she lived in a fictional world and, entertaining herself, entertained others?

Louise Amman, 1886

Louise Amman was born in the "golden cradle". Her father, Alberto Amman, was a major European industrialist - he owned a textile factory in Pordenone, producing cotton fabrics. He inherited his interest in textile production from his father, a native of the Austrian city of Bregenz, Franz Severin Amman, who once moved from Austria to Italy, where he founded two weaving factories (one near Milan), and became Francesco Saverio. His son, Alberto, was equally successful - in addition to manufacturing in Pordenone, he headed the Italian Cotton Industry Association, of which he was the founder. At the age of 32, in 1879, he married Lucia Bressi, a 22-year-old native of Vienna (from an Austrian-Italian family). A year later, on January 22, the couple had their first daughter, Francesca, and a year later, on January 23, 1881, a second daughter, who was baptized Louise Adela Rose Maria. Prosperity was prepared for both girls. Parents by that time had several houses, including a mansion in the royal park of Villa Reale in Monza and Villa Amalia on the shores of Lake Como. Of course, King Umberto I knew Alberto Amman and celebrated him among his subjects. One of the king's confessions is the title of count of Alberto.

Not much is known about Louise's childhood.

She was brought up by governess, was an introverted child, did not like noisy gatherings and especially traveling to guests. Louise preferred to spend time alone, for example, drawing. But most of all she loved to talk to her mother, as children do who want to communicate with their parents more.

Her mother, Lucia Amman, looked at children's drawings in the evenings, leafed through popular fashion magazines with the girls. A young woman, shining in the light, knew everything about the beauty and fashionable dresses of that time. And Louise had a special passion for this topic. She could spend a long time, just like drawing, by the open wardrobes of her mother: studying the details of numerous outfits and precious jewelry. Lucia was very fond of pearls, and then Louise would also wear pearl threads in several rows, as if these threads would tie her to her youth, which ended early ...

In the spring of 1894, at the age of 37, Lucia died suddenly. Count Alberto was inconsolable: he seemed to have done absolutely everything for a happy family life, but who would know what happiness is?

He outlived his wife by only two years.

The girls were taken care of by their uncle Edoardo Amman, Alberto's younger brother. The sisters, who inherited a huge fortune, were by then 16 and 15 years old.

The beginning of the carnival

Surprisingly, before marriage, apart from huge and frightening eyes, nothing in Louise betrayed her future over-exaltation, addiction to grandiose carnivals, balls, endless reincarnations, her ability to take a special place in the minds of artists and poets and create an incredible excitement around herself. How did the shy, timid Louise turn into an eccentric marquise, one of the most famous women in Europe?

And why does its phenomenon not fit into the framework of popular psychophysiological theories, like modern theories of personality?

Camillo Casati on horseback. Around 1910

Louise's high-profile story began, of course, from childhood, with a lack of attention, which then, as you know, is sure to be compensated for. Further, a tragedy occurred in her family - the loss of her parents; she left her mark on Louise's initial isolation and shyness - there were no people with whom she felt warm and comfortable. Restoring the images of her lovely mother in her memory, Louise began to create more and more of her own images, as if in continuation of that glorious journey into the world of fashion that Lucia had opened to her. And suddenly, as time passed, at some point she realized that she had an amazing ability to “hide behind a suit” and in this very suit to be different from everyone else, to stand out from their background. This is how the long-standing desire to be noticed came true. This, of course, is not all the motives that formed her originality. There is one more, material, inheritance. But even with him, the explanation of the phenomenon of Kazati will be incomplete, since the most important secret was hidden, of course, in herself. In a generous nature, explosive nature, an undeniable sense of beauty and dignity.

The first step on the path to fame of Louise was her marriage, in which the Countess became the Marquise and remained her after the divorce. And in the case of marriage, as, indeed, in the rest of the events of Louise's life, she cannot be caught in self-interest or a built strategy - she was too rich for that. Everything happened quite unexpectedly - in the green eyes of a young, graceful and timid countess, as in a bottomless pool, one enviable groom drowned - the Marquis Camillo Casati Stampa di Soncino, a native of the oldest Milanese family. He was enviable precisely because of his belonging to a noble family, but not at all in the sense of his state. When he offered Louise his hand and heart, he was 21, and she was 18. After the engagement, courtship, preparations for the celebration and, finally, after the celebration itself, which took place on June 22, 1900, the newlyweds left for Paris, where the World Exhibition was held, and then they returned to the villa of Camillo Casati and spent time: he was on the hunt, she was in communication (in marriage, her circle of acquaintances increased and was replenished with various well-known names) and at the tables of seances. Passion for the occult and black magic was then widespread. Both in Europe and in America, the wealthy public wondered, learned the future, spoke with the spirits of the dead. Louise has been doing this throughout her life. Fortune-tellers, astrologers and others like them lived in her palaces for years, like oracles under the empress. And among the objects surrounding her in the last days, when not a trace remained of the condition of the seventy-year-old marquise, there was a case made of crystal, in which, as she explained, the phalanx of St. Peter was kept: he threw it at Kazati during a spiritualistic seance ...

Biographers Louise Scott D. Ryersson and Michael Orlando Yaccarino tend to think that the world-famous image of the Marquise was originally influenced by a certain Christina Trivulzio, the heroine of the 19th century Italian creative bohemia. The latter also had huge, expressive eyes and was too fond of magic. True, Louise was born when Christina had already been in another world for ten years, but friends of both Louise and Camillo noted an unprecedented portrait resemblance of these women. Casati herself was so imbued with them that she named Christina her only daughter, who was born in the middle of the summer of 1901 ...

Persecutor of melancholy

Gabriele d "Annunzio, one of the most famous and fashionable European poets and novelists, crept into Louise's heart imperceptibly in the third year of her family life. Short, bald and infinitely energetic, D" Annunzio was an outspoken ladies' man, had numerous affairs with wealthy women, among which was the inimitable actress Eleanor Duse. Louise by this time was already bored of marriage, Camillo was most interested in hunting and dogs, and she was engaged in maintaining order in their many houses and villas. In some of the photographs from this period, there is longing in Louise's eyes. But how everything changed with the arrival of D "Annunzio in her life, who carried the marquis with passion and literature. With his light hand, Louise became Cora (he called her one of the names of the Greek goddess Persephone), and together they began to" paint "life friend Casati and D "Annunzio will carry their feelings with varying degrees of intensity to the end, to the death of the poet in his seventy-fourth year of life.

From The Furious Marquis by Scott D. Ryderson and Michael Iaccarino.
"One of the names of the Greek goddess Persephone is Cora. According to legend, after being abducted by Hades, this virgin became the goddess of the underworld. D" Annunzio was fond of mythology, and his new chosen one loved metamorphosis, so it is not surprising that Louise was assigned this legendary name. In ancient Greece, the word "bark" was also called a statue of a girl with an alluring, mysterious smile. Calling Louise Cora, D "Annunzio was thus emphasizing that he had found in her a modern embodiment of myth and a work of art:

"Luisa Casati is a woman of amazing beauty. When I asked how it felt to wear her proud mask, she replied that it seemed to her as if, passing, she triumphantly left her image in the air, as if it were plaster or wax, and thus perpetuating herself wherever she went. In these words, she expressed, perhaps, an unaccountable desire for power and immortality inherent in all beauty. Not only with every step, but with every fleeting gesture, Cora left her appearance in mine. immortal soul. "
Louise was delighted with her nickname .... and began to subscribe in the French manner "Core". "

Gabriele d "Annunzio in his salon at the Villa Mammarella. 1895

Portrait of a great friend
“This bald, nondescript dwarf in conversation with a woman was transformed primarily in the eyes of the interlocutor. He seemed to her almost like Apollo, because he could easily and unobtrusively give every woman the feeling that she is the center of the Universe, "Isadora Duncan recalled about Gabriel d" Annunzio ... And this was not the only "contradiction" in his infinitely talented brawler nature , an adventurer, a heartthrob, a life-lover, a poet, playwright and even a pilot who loves heights! This is about him, the Italian futurists wrote in their program manifesto: "The gods die, but D" Annunzio remains! " He came from a wealthy and well-born family (the poet's real name is Rapanetta), and despite numerous legends about the places where the future poet was allegedly born, he was born in 1863 in his own home, in the provincial Italian city of Pescara, founded in antiquity. D "Annunzio's poetic talent was revealed long before he entered the university at the department of literature and philology. And his first collection of poetry was published in 1879, when Gabriel was sixteen years old. It was a real debut, after which D" Annunzio's poetic inspiration did not leave, barely managing to acquire a verbal form in a series of his many hobbies. The host of the poet's wonderful creations is worth mentioning separately. In the memoirs of D "Annunzio's contemporaries, there is evidence that at the end of his life he compiled a huge filing cabinet of his love affairs. It occupied a separate room and was kept in Villa Vittoriale. Rome, while studying, and then tirelessly "improved" it. The atmosphere in which the poet surrounded himself can be imagined from the list made by creditors who saw a harp in a suede case, tusks of a wild boar, a gilded statuette of Antinous, altar doors, Japanese lanterns, a white deer skin, twenty-two carpets, a collection of ancient weapons embroidered with beads screen ... At the age of 20, D "Annunzio married a young, charming girl, aristocrat Maria di Gallese, who ran away from home because of him. Together they did not live long, although they managed to have three children. And then D" Annunzio's novels unfolded one after others, anticipating the erotic scenes of his novels and - leading the poet to a series of duels. The result of one of them is his bald head. (The doctor treating the wound on his head used too much antiseptic solution ...) In 1889, Gabriel d "Annunzio's first novel, Pleasure, was published, following which he became even more popular. An exponent of individualistic aestheticism, he finds himself, as they say, on the crest of a wave. And then - the drama "A Dream in Autumn Twilight", the novels "The Triumph of Death", "The Virgin of the Rocks", "The Innocent Sacrifice" and much more ... events of the time: during the war of 1914-1918, he launched a campaign for Italy's participation in this war (on the side of the Entente), wrote various speeches of a chauvinistic sense.When Italy entered the war, he volunteered for the front ... After the war, in 1919 year, being at the head of a military detachment, he occupied the city of Fiume, which seemed to his like-minded people to be the stronghold of capitalism in the Balkans. After the Fiume defeat, he began to show interest in fascism, then in the Franciscan order. indulging in thoughts and memories.

Cats and gazelles

The marquis began to arrange fancy-dress balls and masquerades in the possessions of Casati, this hobby was also fashionable in wealthy houses. A certain era was chosen, the interiors were stylized, and the guests arrived at the ball in the costumes of the heroes of the chosen time. Most of these masquerades were charitable and attracted a large number of participants. Louise conquered those present with both her outfits and her ability to get used to her character. In 1905, the audience trembled at the sight of Casati in the guise of the Byzantine Empress Theodora (wife of Justinian). Her costume, jewelry and face under make-up were so believable that it seemed that time had turned back - and the audience was facing the real Theodora, who had just left the Ravenna mosaic. At the masquerade of the same year, held in the presence of the royal couple in the Quirinal Palace, the Marquise Casati arrived in a dress made of gold embroidery and attracted the attention of the public for an indecently long time. Although to captivate with a costume - is it indecent? Here is a huge python instead of a dress - another matter, or a leopard mantle thrown over a naked body. It is no coincidence that it was often said about the marquis that today, except for perfume, she was wearing nothing.

Luisa Casati. Around 1905

An affair with D "Annunzio emancipated Louise: her natural timidity at first was hidden behind extraordinary, fabulously expensive costumes, and then completely reborn into an unprecedented scale of outrageous. It seemed that the gossip about her scandalous chosen one flew away from Kazati without touching her. , and really did not touch all sorts of barbs and caricatures addressed to him, or maybe, on the contrary, she enjoyed them. I wonder with what feeling she considered the caricature popular at that time, in which she was depicted in an embrace with D "Annunzio in the middle of bed of the marquis. Camillo reacted indifferently to this. And on the whole, it seems, he turned out to be a noble gentleman, that is, he understood that Louise had very, very much added to his modest fortune, that she did not interfere with his passion for hunting and, most importantly, gave him a wonderful child. What more could a true marquis want?

Marchesa Casati by Adolph De Meyer

The spouses who were distant from each other in 1906 suddenly caught fire with a common cause - the construction of a mansion in Rome. As if for the endless conversations of her wealthy neighbors, Louise decorated the mansion contrary to all traditions, the dominant feature here was the black and white color of the interiors. But the greatest passion of the marquise was, of course, not Venetian mirrors and luxurious curtains, but animals. She surrounded herself with them all her life, and in such numbers that even at the end of her journey, without a livelihood, living in government rooms, she kept five or six Pekingese - her favorite breed. Sometimes she really had nothing to eat, but she got food for the dogs: from acquaintances, friends, grocers. When, getting old, some of the dogs died, the marquise asked to make a stuffed animal out of it.

Watercolor & ink by Paget-Fredericks, ca. 1920 "s

"The Marquise Casati taking a Walk" by Olga Balabanova, 2006

Numerous Siamese, Persian and other cats lived happily in the new Roman mansion, next to them the huge mastiff Angelina was guarding the garden, greyhounds were running around in the house wearing collars with large diamonds (with which she is captured in several paintings).

“I entered the greek-style lobby and sat down, waiting for the marquise to appear. Suddenly I heard a tirade of unthinkably vulgar expressions addressed to me. I looked around and saw a green parrot. He sat on a perch, not tied. I hurriedly got up and went into the adjoining living room, determined to wait for the Marquis there. And suddenly I heard a threatening growl - rrrr! A white bulldog was standing in front of me. He, too, was not chained, and I ran into the next room, which was covered and hung with bearskins. Here I heard an ominous hiss: a huge cobra slowly rose up and hissed at me in the cage ... ”- recalled the dancer Isadora Duncan in“ My Life ”.

At the main entrance to this mansion, guests were greeted by two gazelles cast in gold. And all the inhabitants of this splendor were so peculiar that it was not easy to figure out which of them was more and which was less "natural".

Undesirable in the closet!

Whom did the Marquise love more: animals or people? Rather, the first. And from the people I preferred men. She practically had no friendship with women; she managed to communicate with only a few friends. In relation to others - for example, to the ladies present at her balls, she could show various unkindness. Contemporaries said that during the infamous Parisian masquerade, arranged by Casati in memory of Count Cagliostro, she imprisoned one of the ladies in the closet for the whole evening for trying to copy her marquis costume.

Louise was known as a great philanthropist. A great connoisseur of painting, she has patronized many names, known and unknown. She supported artists, poets, musicians: Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Alberto Martini, Giovanni Boldini, Arthur Rubinstein and many others.

Casati by Augustus Edwin John

Marchesa Casati | Alberto martini

Kazati's acquaintance with Rubinstein began with a big misunderstanding: for the first time he noticed the marquise in the dim lighting in the salon of a hotel, saw her black eyes, lined with charcoal, purple hair and, frightened, screamed ... But then Kazati completely charmed the musician and supported him financially, as evidenced by - his memories. And the Marquise had special feelings for Boldini. Their acquaintance led to miraculous results - extraordinary portraits of Casati, who, at the artist's invitation, rushed to Paris, to his studio, spent quite a lot of time near Boldini, and in 1908 the canvas "Marquise Louise Casati with a Greyhound" appeared, which won a storm of applause in Paris. Salon.

Venice and Venier dei Leoni

In 1910, Casati made the purchase of the century - an old Venetian palazzo - the Venier Palace. The Marquise was longing for Venice: D "Annunzio was tirelessly telling her about this wonderful city. And now the dream came true, the windows of her present palace overlooked the main artery of the city - the Grand Canal. True, the dilapidated palace itself was a sad sight, but for the Marquise there was no nothing impossible. ” with blackbirds, parrots, a peacock (the blackbirds and peacocks were white), dogs, numerous primates, and also cats.Once again, the Marquise's contemporaries noted that Louise had extraordinary authority among all living creatures, the animals obeyed her and showed little displeasure with each other. Cheetahs became a favorite topic of guests and acquaintances of the Marquise, which only was not written about them, as well as about Kazati's next hobby - snakes ... There is a known case when in 1915 during a trip to America on the "Leviathan" liner the marquise's boa disappeared. And she, having barely survived this loss, upon arrival in New York, immediately asked to buy a new boa constrictor ...

Marchesa Casati | Ted coconis

Despite the endless talk about her eccentricities, Venice, it seems, unconditionally accepted the creator of the outrageous (only the neighbors remained dissatisfied): as soon as a gondola appeared on the waters of the Grand Canal, in which Louise sat in breathtaking outfits in an embrace with cheetahs, the audience froze with delight. Soon, Casati merged with the atmosphere of the city so much that he arranged balls right in St. Mark's Square. Could there be such a daredevil in the power of the city who would decide to prohibit something from Kazati?

Giovanni Boldini. Marquise Louise Casati with a peacock feather. 1914 year

Bowl with flowers

It is imperative to add the wax figure of the marquise to the cheetahs and boas, otherwise the list of her eccentricities will be incomplete. Before making her exact replica from wax, Casati bought another doll - a copy of the unfortunate Baroness Maria Vechera, which in fact was shot by her beloved Prince Rudolph (son of Emperor Franz Joseph I) in Mayerling Castle in 1889. Kazati used to take turns seating these dolls at the table. Imagine the condition of guests entering the dining room and taking seats next to them. Louise asked her own copy to be dressed the same way as herself. Why did she need these dolls? How is a prank tool? Or maybe, being carried away by magic, she assigned them a different role? It is interesting to know what eyes the replica of the marquise had, could they be similar to her real ones? They say that the brilliance of the latter could be explained simply: Louise buried herself with drops of belladonna, and then let her eyes down with charcoal (which is why the aforementioned Rubinstein was scared), and even glued on five-centimeter eyelashes.

Giovanni Boldini, Portrait of the Marchesa Luisa Casati with a Greyhound, 1908

Kees van Dongen "Marchesa Casati", 1921

Ignacio Zuloaga "Marchesa Casati", 1922

"The Marchesa Luisa Casati" by Simon Wass

But what these black and green eyes were obtained on the canvases of Alberto Martini, Giovanni Boldini, Kees van Dongen, who created a series of portraits of Casati! On one of them ("Bowl with Flowers") Louise, depicted next to the bowl, herself exudes an extraordinary aroma of seduction. Van Dongen was so inflamed with her that he refused to sell his work and returned to her image for seven years. And in 1921 he even settled in the Palazzo Dei Leoni, escaping from the Parisian critics. Their romance-collaboration turned out, as in the case of the poet D "Annunzio, infinitely fruitful: they fed on energy, passions and the fruits of each other's imaginations. Although one can hardly compare her short relationship with Van Dongen with a life-long novel with D" Annunzio. Wherever Louise lived, she certainly returned to her poet, brought gifts, postcards, and when she was away she wrote to him from everywhere. One day, her message gift exceeded all expectations. The Marquis sent the poet a parcel with a turtle purchased at the Hamburg Zoo. And the poet "answered" her with a small black alligator, at least that's what their acquaintances said. The turtle Heli lived with D "Annunzio for almost five years, but then, right before the arrival of the Marquise - and this must happen - she ate tuberoses in the garden of his mansion and poisoned herself. Knowing how sad Cora dear to his heart would be, the poet ordered Heli golden armor and he laid her in this guise on a satin pillow, apparently assuming that the effect of this spectacle would somewhat brighten Louise's bitterness of loss.

Extravagance behind the curtain

The marquise finally broke up with her husband in 1914, and received an official divorce only in 1924. Christina turned 13 in 1914, she stayed with her mother. Although what does “stayed” mean? The daughter first lived in a strict Roman Catholic monastery, and then studied at Oxford University, which she never graduated from. And the carnival of Louise's life continued, however, now on a smaller scale: the entertainment events of the European beau monde were reduced in connection with the First World War. And after the war, the world became completely different, and Kazati could not help but feel it. Her lifestyle has also changed, although, of course, she did not become less eccentric.

The Marquise Casati by Man Ray, 1922

The fate of Christina turned out to be completely different from the fate of her mother. In 1925, she married Francis John Clarence Western Plantagenet, Viscount Hastings, against the wishes of her lover's parents and settled in England. Her husband was engaged in painting and later even created a portrait of his infamous mother-in-law. In 1928, Christina gave birth to a girl named Mureya.

The Marquise's granddaughter will play a special role in her sunset life: she is one of the few to be next to Louise in her old age. Christina will part with Hastings, marry a second time, but die at 51. So, gradually close people will leave the Marquis ...

Count Cagliostro's pranks

Especially loud and sometimes scandalous glory of Kazati was given by the events associated with a series of her balls in 1927. One of them, May (he, however, turned out to be the most "quiet"), was captured by Isadora's assistant Duncan Mary Desti in the book "Untold Stories": “We arrived at about midnight in a terrible storm. It seemed to us that we had a fabulous vision. The house was surrounded by a line of tiny electric lamps ... The footmen scurried along the paths in luxurious, gold-embroidered camisoles, satin pants and silk stockings. In spite of the flood, all the stars of the Comedie Francaise and the most famous poets and artists of that time gathered in the house. The reception was truly striking with splendor ... The height of this thin woman (marquise. - Ed.) Was something eighty meters, and in addition she put on a very high black hat, studded with stars. The face was not visible under the mask, from under which huge eyes sparkled to match the diamonds that strewn their arms, neck and shoulders. Like a somnambulist, she walked through the halls, bowing to everyone, as if one of the guests ... ”This was called the Ball of the Golden Rose. Further, Mary Desty notes that in memory of the splendor she saw, she kept a golden rose for a long time, inside which there was a tiny capsule with pink essence - golden flowers were handed out to guests before the departure. This ball was surprisingly calm, but another - in memory of Count Cagliostro, arranged a month later, failed. He was preparing in the Parisian mansion of Casati - Palais-Roses, which belonged to her before Count Robert de Montesquieu. The preparations for the holiday were grandiose. Before the arrival of the guests, the palace garden was lined with burning torches, the tables abounded with food, the servants were dressed in wigs and costumes in accordance with the spirit of the times of the great sorcerer. Who was not here! Peter the Great, Marie Antoinette, Count D "Artois ... But the action was reversed by the very forces of nature, such a thunderstorm began that lightning seemed to be about to set everyone present. streams of water, moreover poured from above. Everything was mixed: suits, crinolines, wigs, make-up spread over their faces in streams. It was a terrible sight.

Man Ray, Paris, July 1935

Le Temple d "Amour (vers 1923) et les biches de bronze de la Marquise Casati.

Interior "Palais Rose", 1923

Louise will be able to pay all the bills for this masquerade with great difficulty, seeking funds from the remnants of her fortune.

And from that moment on, her debts grew steadily. First, the contents of the palace went under the hammer, and then the structure itself, and most importantly - the extraordinary "Hermitage" by Kazati, where, they say, there were about 130 works dedicated to her. And if you imagine what names were present in this gallery, you can get an idea of the amount of debt. Although the Marquise never knew how to be zealous, what are the facts that she could pay the taxi driver with precious stones. By the way, one of the golden gazelles was acquired at that time by Coco Chanel ...

In 1938, her closest friend, D "Annunzio, died. Casati did not attend his funeral. Perhaps she remembered the fact that the poet did not respond to her request for a loan before the auction in Palais Roses. But what should have been the amount this loan ?! The Marquis did not go into such details. Or maybe she just didn’t want to see him dead, she wasn’t at her daughter’s funeral either ...

Marchesa Casati by Carl Reitlinger, 1942

In old age, the Marquise continued to be Louise Casati, and just like a magnet attracted people to her. The last fifteen years have tested her strength more than once, and she has not changed her lust for life. According to biographers, Scott D. Ryersson and Michael Orlando Yaccarino, the environment in which she lived was completely different from the previous one. Once one of the richest women in Europe, she was content with a couch full of horsehair, an old bathroom, and a broken cuckoo clock. At the same time, Kazati continued to entertain herself and her visiting friends, whose number was greatly reduced: she made collages from newspaper and magazine clippings. And her work, as always, was imbued with fiction and originality.

On June 1, 1957, Luisa Casati became part of eternity. She died for her favorite pastime - at the end of the seance. The granddaughter dressed her in the legendary leopard costume, the last friend of the Marquise, Sidney Farmer, brought her new false eyelashes, as well as a stuffed animal of her beloved Pekingese, who took shelter at the feet of her dear mistress.

The beautiful marquise rests in London at Brompton cemetery.

There are places on earth whose stories are completely inconsistent with their appearance. It can be a scary, seemingly inhospitable place - and only the happiest and warmest stories are associated with it, and sometimes vice versa.

Emerald green waters, dazzling blue skies and hilly landscape - the miniature island of Zannon, lost in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is a seemingly typical Italian island for lovers of tranquility and unity with nature.

However, this island has a different reputation.

A small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the western coast of Italy, Zannon is almost forgotten by Italians. This facility houses a colonial-style villa, where in ancient times all kinds of sexual orgies took place, as well as several brutal murders.

From a distance, Zannon Island, with its hilly landscape and emerald waters, seems to be the perfect place to relax, but this is not the case. The reputation of this place is completely different due to its history. The fact is that in the 60s of the last century, this villa belonged to the Marquis Casati Stampa and his wife Anna Fallarino, who were distinguished by a special love for sexual orgies.

If you swim closer to the island, you can see a whitewashed colonial-style villa in the distance. There lived the Marquis Casati Stampa, who threw luxurious sexual parties, and his beautiful wife, who, in turn, had a passion for unknown young people and indulged this passion with pleasure.

Numerous friends of the couple came to this island from all over Italy, who did not mind copulating with each other and indulging in all kinds of love pleasures. It is not known for certain whether Kazati Stump's wife liked such a pastime, but it is clear that there were no discord in this couple and the spouses lived without quarrels and scandals until one incident.

Marquis Casati Stampa was a free-spirited voyeur who loved watching and photographing his wife Anna Fallarino, a former actress, making love on the island's beaches with other men.

The marquis felt special feelings for his wife and it is known that he loved to look at her sexual pleasures in bed with other men, even with several at the same time, and also filmed what was happening in the photo. Soon he was informed that his wife Anna Falarrino makes love with one of the invited friends and even feels tender feelings for him.

Once the Marquis allegedly went hunting to his friends, but unexpectedly returned home, finding his wife in the same office with another young man. Because of his rage and intense jealousy, the man shot first his wife, and then her alleged lover, and soon shot himself.

The incident took place in the 1970s and caused quite a stir in the press, as the Casati Stampa family was one of the most influential in Italy at the time. Moreover, the depraved photographs of Anna Falarrino, who, by the way, became the first woman in Italy to undergo breast augmentation surgery, were exposed to the public.

It is believed that the island villa of Casati Stampa had an unusual mirror room, and all kinds of guesses about orgies on Zannon were confirmed when workers dismantling the building found a warehouse of empty bottles of alcoholic drinks and previously unknown candid photos of Falarrino in the amount of 1.5 thousand units. Masquerades were often held on the island, which ended in orgies, which became the norm.

Now the island of Zannon is a favorite destination for tourists only because of its unusual erotic history, and the villa of the Marquis has almost collapsed under the influence of the sun and wind.

Sources:

The gift of the miracle of the Marquise Casati

“I want to become a living masterpiece,” she once said. And she made herself a masterpiece ... Marquise Casati became the most famous muse of the beginning of the last century. Artists wrote and sculpted it, poets sang beauty, fashion designers fought for the right to dress it. The heroine of several novels and the inspirer of hundreds of poems, she collected palaces and exotic animals, spent entire fortunes on luxurious feasts, arranging delightful orgy (for example, in a dilapidated palazzo on the banks of the Venetian Grand Canal and in a red marble palace on the outskirts of Paris). Gabriele D'Annunzio, Diaghilev, Arthur Rubinstein, T.E. Lawrence boggled the imagination.

We can say that the image she created has become the most popular female image in the world after the Virgin Mary and Cleopatra: her countless pictorial, sculptural, photographic portraits are enough to fill a huge gallery. The list of those whom she inspired can be multiplied and multiplied: Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac, Maurice Druon ...

In Russian, there is a book about her "The Furious Marquise: The Life and Legend of the Marquise Casati". Authors: Scott D. Ryersson, Michael Orlando Yaccarino. Published by Slovo / Slovo Publishing House in 2006, 200 illustrations, 304 pages. Slovo / Slovo Publishing House has kindly provided us with the first chapter of this book for publication.

The Furious Marquise: The Life and Legend of the Marquise Casati

Legend has it that Gabriele D'Annunzio invented the Marquis Luisa Casati .... It seems that she herself believed in this myth and, until her death, never tired of perpetuating the eccentric image he created. A cadaverous mask, huge emerald eyes outlined in charcoal, and a shock of fiery red hair made her a living embodiment of the mysterious and alluring heroines of the famous Italian decadent.

In one of the most impressive photographs of Casati, taken by Baron Adolphe de Meyer in 1912, at the height of her eye-popping career, Louise is portrayed as a modern-day Gorgon Medusa. Depicted against a blurred background, the woman drills us with a hypnotic gaze. A somewhat deliberate posture, a tense face, long white hands, fingers pressed against the skin-covered cheekbones - everything is designed to draw our attention to her huge, frightening, witchcraft eyes.

At the very first exhibition, this photographic portrait made an indelible impression on the observer of the International Studio Magazine:

The portrait of the Marquise Casati, presented at the exhibition, is perhaps the most outstanding of all existing masterpieces of photography. A mysterious, almost ominous image, full of bubbling vitality, amazes the viewer even more than Sargent's greatest canvases, for the camera is able to capture shades that are beyond human perception and recreate them with clarity beyond the control of an artist. Magnetic eyes from under a lush shock of hair pierce the viewer with such persistent force that he has a complete sense of personal contact.

But this magazine critic, like other admirers of Casati, did not have the opportunity to compare the portrait created by one of the world's leading photo artists with photographs from the family album at a time when the marquise had not yet enjoyed such loud fame.

A photograph taken in December 1901 at the wedding of Francesca Amman and Count Giulio Padulli, captured smart people on the steps of Villa Amalia, the Amman family residence in Erba, near Milan. A bride in a white dress with a high collar and an embroidered bodice stands next to the groom in a ceremonial cavalry uniform. The young are surrounded by rich and distinguished guests. The shiny top hats of elderly mustachioed politicians reflect the rays of the bright winter sun. Plump widows in feathers and dark laces are smiling emotionally into the lens. A doll-faced girl in a wide-brimmed hat sits on the marble steps of the villa, while an officer in a helmet, towering over her, scrutinizes the sleeve of his gold-embroidered uniform.

There is also the bride's sister Louise in the picture, also half-hidden by the brim of her own hat and the hat of her neighbor. It seems to be suppressed by the imposing columns and heavy curtains on the high windows of the villa. Next to her is her husband - the Marquis Camillo Casati Stampa, the offspring of a noble Italian family. They had a daughter quite recently, a few months ago. According to the ideas of all those present, the young marquise has already reached the highest prosperity destined for a woman. In the picture, Louise Casati is twenty years old.

The madcap, the witch, the gorgon Medusa with hair "soaked in caviar and champagne", she - "an allegory of sickening greatness" with ruby claws - spoke of her alone. Goddess, dazzling Persephone, "Live metamorphosis ”, the eternal muse - others said.

And so what if she lived in a fictional world and, entertaining herself, entertained others?

Not much is known about Louise's childhood.

He outlived his wife by only two years.

The girls were taken care of by their uncle Edoardo Amman, Alberto's younger brother. The sisters, who inherited a huge fortune, were by then 16 and 15 years old.

The beginning of the carnival

She was born in 1881, when Milan was experiencing an unprecedented economic and cultural upsurge. A little less than a quarter of a century ago, her hometown freed itself from foreign domination and entered the united Italian kingdom, but retained the cosmopolitan spirit acquired during the French, Spanish and Austrian rule.

Milan at the end of the 19th century was marked by the rapid development of entrepreneurship, although it has not lost its reputation as one of the most aristocratic cities in the world. New cobblestone streets, many banks, theaters, offices and art galleries became symbols of wealth and prosperity. The union of culture and commerce has provided the city with a solid place as the country's business capital.

Milan has always been famous for cotton fabrics, and with the development of technology and technology, it has become one of the world's largest textile exporters. Naturally, this led to the progress of related industries - the production of dyes, chemicals, clothing; in the modeling business, Milan could already compete with Paris. Ties with the banking circles of Switzerland and Germany, the boom on its own stock exchange had a positive effect on the development of trade, crafts and the country's financial system.

Luisa's father Alberto Amman was one of the largest suppliers of cotton fabrics. He was born in 1847 to the Austrian family Franz Severin Ammann and Rosa Weinzierl. Moving to Verona from his native Bregenz, Franz supplied fabrics and yarn to the Habsburg Empire. Over time, Franz Severin changed his citizenship, changed his name to the Italian style - Francesco Saverio - and founded weaving factories in Legnano, near industrial Milan, and in Chiavenna, a small town at the foot of the Swiss Alps. Young Alberto, under the guidance of his father, learned all the intricacies of the craft and went to try his luck in Milan.

In the early 1870s, he met a certain Emilio Wepfer and founded a modern textile factory with him on shares. The companion was older, had business and management experience honed in England and France, and was well versed in technology and equipment, which he did not fail to teach Amman. They received financial support for the construction of the factory from the government, which went to meet entrepreneurs who were developing the recently annexed areas of the Italian kingdom.

For the future enterprise, they chose the town of Pordenone, which was located almost equidistant between the Austrian border and Venice. The area has always had a good energy supply and a humid climate favorable for cotton production. The Veneto-Illyria railway offered easy access to the markets of Milan, Vienna and Rome. Equally important was the availability of a cheap labor force with several generations of experience in textile production. The Amman-Wepfer factory officially opened in September 1875. The union of Alberto Amman and Emilio Wepfer justified itself: things went very well. An undoubted advantage was the high standard of living created for the workers of the enterprise. They were provided with housing in purpose-built dormitories and provided day care for their children. One of the first partners in the industry to establish insurance and pension funds. A school was built for older children. Workers could buy their products at reduced prices. The factory even had its own fire brigade, since fire is especially destructive for the textile industry. The good conditions and the generosity of the factory owners guaranteed high productivity of the workers; along with the capital, the prestige of the company also grew.

Amman came to Pordenone only when necessary: administrative duties did not allow him to leave Milan for a long time. In addition, he founded a powerful guild - the Italian Cotton Industry Association, which controlled the entire industry in the country. Soon the name of the largest industrial magnate Amman became known throughout Lombardy. For his great contribution to increasing the national income, he received the title of count from King Umberto I.

In 1879, Alberto Amman married Lucia Bressi. She was born in Vienna in 1857 to the Italian family Gedeone Bressi and the Austrian Johanna Voith. Alberto's wealth grew steadily, and the couple had the opportunity to maintain several houses: one near the factory - for long visits in Pordenone, the other near the royal VillaReale in Monza, where King Umberto was a frequent visitor. But neither of these houses could be compared with the Villa Amalia. Built in the Greek style on hilly Erbe, on the shores of Lake Como, it included a former monastery with Luini's ceiling paintings. Around the villa there is a park, fragrant with azaleas, camellias, magnolias, roses. On the branches of the mimosa, tiny silver bells tinkled softly in the wind. An amphitheater, a temple of love, gazebos with mosaic patterns and a fountain in which marble swans irrigated the figures of Leda and nymphs were built in the park. The Ammans also had an apartment in the center of Milan, on Via Brera, not far from Amman's administrative office, on Via Monte Pieta.

The eldest daughter of the Amman Francesca was born on January 22, 1880 in their city apartment. The next year was also marked by joyful events: during the National Exhibition in Milan, the Amman-Wepfer enterprise received a gold medal for great services in the textile industry, and on January 23, 1881, Lucia gave birth to her second daughter. The Count and Countess of Amman at baptism named the child Louise Adele Rosa Maria, but everyone in the family affectionately called her Ginetta.

The Amman sisters were raised like all women in this circle. They were followed by the traditionally changing governesses. From an early age, Louise was interested in painting, she was often taken to the Pinacoteca of the neighboring Palazzo Brera (17th century) to look at paintings by Italian and European masters or to the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie - to admire the crumbling grandeur of Leonardo's Last Supper.

Louise learned to draw herself. She could sit for hours and redraw pictures from the Parisian "Ilustration", mother's favorite magazine. In those days, magazines often featured family portraits of celebrities; Louise sketched her family in the same manner. She portrayed uncles, aunts, cousins and sisters in solemn poses, as in a photograph, or in a relaxed atmosphere - say, playing croquet on the lawns of the Villa Amalia. Although Alberto's father was rarely at home, he was usually the main figure in the drawings. The older sister was jealous of the success of the younger, but her mother and her friends were looking at the sketches of the young artist with interest, trying to recognize themselves on them.

The increased attention to her person left a rather reserved child who suffered from a lack of communication, like all children from wealthy families, indifferent. Except for family celebrations, they had nowhere to see their peers, since education was predominantly home. Louise's appearance also contributed to her shyness. By the age of thirteen, she had already realized that her older sister was much more attractive than her. A boyish cheekbone face, a large mouth, a thin nose with wide nostrils and a hard, unruly shock of brown hair made the comparison between the sisters not in favor of the younger one. But one feature from childhood attracted all eyes to Louise - her unnaturally large magnetic eyes. Almond-shaped, emerald green, they instantly made you forget about the rest. But, despite her beautiful eyes, a chiseled figure and the grace of a born dancer, Louise became painfully unsociable over the years.

The Ammans received a lot and widely, but Louise enjoyed spending her evenings with Francesca and her mother better. The three of them wandered through the fabulous world that opened on the pages of French fashion magazines. Many years later, Louise recalled how her mother wished her good night before going out into the world: "Lace, diamonds and pearls touched my face, and the smell of her perfume tickled my nostrils for a long time." Not alien to theatricality, the Countess carried her daughters with romantic stories about her youth in Vienna. Sometimes, sneaking into her mother's wardrobe, Louise tried on toilets from Doucet and Worth and imagined herself the heroine of her favorite books or matinees at La Scala, which were often visited by the Amman family.

However, Countess Amman had no need to resort to fairytale characters to entertain her daughters, since the vicissitudes of life of real royalty were sometimes not inferior to the most daring fantasies. Louise was five years old when King Ludwig II of Bavaria drowned under mysterious circumstances. This insane monarch, nicknamed the King of Dreams, was not too concerned with the management and political stability of his state, he was more interested in the construction of fabulous Gothic castles, through which he wandered all alone, indulging in fruitless dreams. Empress Elizabeth of Austria, although she was somewhat closer to reality than her cousin Ludwig, did not always behave as befits. This fabulous beauty, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph, loved to travel under the assumed name of Countess von Hohenembs. However, these adventures came to an end after the tragic events associated with the death of her son. In January 1889, Crown Prince Rudolph shot and killed his seventeen-year-old mistress Maria Weetsera, and then himself, in the legendary Mayerling Castle. A little later, the death of the assassin at the tip of the stiletto will overtake the mother-empress.

The power of the crowned person extends, as a rule, to one state, and the generally recognized queen of the stage, Sarah Bernhardt, ruled the whole world for almost half a century, capturing the 19th and 20th centuries. La magnifique (fr .: magnificent) played, was fond of painting and sculpture, made sketches of her costumes and interiors of houses in a somewhat pretentious style with the indispensable addition of a pathological touch, which delighted decadents and symbolists so much.

Young Louise Amman had someone to learn the art of reincarnation, and the details of the brilliant and often tragic fate worried her to the core. Many years later, she will give her childhood idols a new life.

Emilio Wepfer died in March 1890, and Alberto Amman took over the management of the textile factory in Pordenone. He made his younger brother Edoardo an advisor and assistant to the manager.

In the spring of 1894, Alberto planned to rest with the whole family in Turin, but the long-awaited vacation had to be postponed: he was urgently summoned on business to Florence. His wife went with him, and soon the news came that the Countess suddenly fell ill from an incomprehensible illness. Her death on the evening of April 11 was so sudden that her daughters did not even have time to come from Milan to say goodbye to her. Lucia Amman was only thirty-seven years old.

Neither this blow, nor the persistent requests of his brother to take care of himself could not distract the Count of Amman from the work of his life, although now, to his many worries, efforts were added to raising girls who were left without a mother. Probably, his body could not withstand such a load. Two years later, on July 11, 1896, Alberto left after his wife.

Edoardo Amman and his wife Fanny took over the custody of the orphaned nieces and the management of the family business. Francesca and Louise needed guidance from her uncle as they were now very rich. Textile factories in Amman, villas in Erba and Monza, apartments in Milan, bank deposits, stocks, funds - this is not a complete list of the inherited property. At the end of the mourning, it was decided that they should live in the Villa Amalia.

Although their uncle did not leave them with his worries, Francesca and Louise were clearly weighed down by a life befitting the owners of a huge fortune. Talking to cousins and cousins and traveling to family villas did not entertain them much. And close by was Milan with its museums, libraries, theaters and, of course, shops. Fashions changed rapidly; In the minds of European young ladies, the standard of a young American woman, the so-called "Gibson Girl" (Charles Gibson is an artist-painter), with her athletic figure, springy gait, and imperiously playful manners, was becoming more and more established. Following this pattern, the Amman sisters learned to play tennis and horseback, which, however, did not greatly affect Louise's natural shyness.

In 1898, the younger sister turned seventeen: it's time to take it out into the world. Meanwhile, the world around us was seething on the eve of the coming century. Louise Amman paid tribute to the novelty in her own way - she cut her hair.

A wave of scissors - and tangled chestnut locks on the forehead turned into stylish bangs, which unexpectedly emphasized the emerald shine of her extraordinary eyes. Subsequently, Louise repeatedly dyed her hair, sometimes changing the color to the exact opposite, but kept the haircut of her own invention for life.

Louise went out into the light reluctantly. The countless balls, theatrical performances and dinner parties did not appeal to her. But at one of the social events, a timid eighteen-year-old rich woman attracted the attention of the Marquis Camillo Casati Stampa di Soncino. Camillo was born on 12 August 1877 and was the eldest son of the Knight of the Order of Malta, Gian Alfonso Casati and his wife Luigi Negroni Pratti. The handsome man with a lush mustache has just turned twenty-one; he was assigned with the rank of lieutenant to the Second Reserve Cavalry Regiment, but lived according to the generic motto "Freedom and Independence". In military service, he learned to ride well and was a fair hunter, but his main virtues were his title and belonging to one of the oldest aristocratic families in Milan. In Italian history, there were many dukes, marquises and counts, and even more bishops, senators, envoys and adventurers who bore the name Casati. In a word, such an alliance was desirable for both families, since the nouveau riches of Amman could not boast of the antiquity of the family, as well as the fullness of the money chests of the Marquis of Casati. A ceremonial courtship began. Camillo was introduced to Edoardo Amman and Francesca at Villa Amalia; Louise visited the Casati family nest, built in the 16th century, in the town of Cinisello Balsamo. Immediately after the official announcement of the engagement to Louise, regardless of the expenses, they began to prepare the dowry. She spent the first months of the new, XX century in a whirlwind of social events and fitting on toilets, all in anticipation of the upcoming wedding.

According to the European custom of that time, a rich bride, especially one acquiring the title of marquise, was supposed to be immortalized on canvas. Louise reluctantly obeyed this demand. The fashionable portrait painter Vitellini had an unenviable fate: posing so tired Louise that she could not sit out for more than half an hour. The unfinished portrait betrays her complete unwillingness to help the artist. He did not manage to finish writing his hands - they are only outlined. As a result, the canvas depicts a rather prim big-eyed person against the background of some banal landscape.

Finally, on June 22, 1900, after much preparation, the Marquis Camillo Casati and Countess Louise Amman were married. Their honeymoon in Paris coincided with the 1900 World's Fair. It was a terrible heat, but even it could not keep millions of people from visiting this grandiose exhibition, which was open from April to November. Art Nouveau masterpieces and other exhibits from all over the world fascinated the public, who flocked to the exquisite pavilions on the Place de la Concorde. Claude Debussy enjoyed the exotic music of an oriental theater on the banks of the Seine; Auguste Rodin and ex-Empress Eugenia walked through the halls of the exhibition, which presented the sculptures of this famous master, and even the notorious Oscar Wilde, who had only a few weeks to live, sipped wine at the Café d'Egipte table.

The Parisian artist, master of the "dry needle" Paul Cesar Elle became the author of the first portrait of Louise after her marriage. The sepia engraving on the honeymoon depicts a sophisticated Belle Époque woman, with picturesquely disheveled hair topped with a hat with black feathers. The all-seeing, it seems, eyes of the model are especially striking in this portrait. In the same year, Louise posed for the famous representative of academic classicism Vittorio Matteo Corcos in his Roman studio. True, the half-length portrait remained unfinished, but the master would later paint Louise in oil in an Amazon costume.

On their return from Paris, the newlyweds settled in the Villa Casati in Cinisello Balsamo. Like most wealthy married couples, they were not content with one residence. A specially hired German chauffeur took them from one house to another in a newly acquired Mercedes. The couple spent winter and spring in Cinisello Balsamo or in a mansion in the center of Milan, near Cathedral Square, and in the summer they waited out the heat in the Swiss Alps. In winter, Camillo often went hunting in the vicinity of the ancestral castle in Cusago, or visited his incomparable stables at the Villa San Martino in Arcore.

Thanks to her husband, Louise entered the circle of young aristocrats and industrialists; among them were representatives of such glorious families as the Sforza and Visconti di Modrone. In addition to secular gossip and business conversations, high society youth at that time showed a great interest in the occult, and fortune-telling and seances were often held in the salons. At the end of the century, the fashion for black magic reigned in high society; one of the most mysterious figures who embodied this gloomy element was Christina Trivulzio.

Cristina Trivulzio, Princess di Belgioioso, was the idol of the Italian romantics of the early 19th century. A pallid face framed by raven hair, a tall, painfully thin figure radiated a strange charm that struck down such geniuses as Chopin, Balzac, Delacroix and Alfred de Musset. But a particularly lively rumor was caused by the partially embalmed corpse of a man found in the boudoir of Trivulzio. The deceased turned out to be a twenty-seven-year-old consumptive youth Gaetano Stelzi, who was allegedly one of the princess's many lovers. When his burial was opened, a wooden log was found in the coffin. This story is still shrouded in darkness: in any case, Trivulzio managed to avoid trial.

Camillo and his friends were completely shocked by some of Louise's resemblance to this legendary person who, according to rumors, kept the hearts of her fans in gold boxes. Musset called Trivulzio's sorcerous eyes "les yeux terribles de sphinx" (French: "terrible eyes of the sphinx"). By all accounts, Louise had the same unforgiving gaze, which is why she invariably played the princess in salon charades. The golden youth loved to imagine the scene of the discovery of a mysterious corpse (portrayed by Alessandro, Camillo's younger brother) and to summon the spirit of Trivulzio in seances.

Princess di Belgioioso left such a deep mark on Louise's soul that she secured Camillo's consent: if they had a daughter, they would call her Christina. The agreement was fulfilled when Louise gave birth to their first and only child on July 15, 1901.

Another Italian beauty who struck Louise's imagination was Virginia Aldoini, Countess of Castiglione, Napoleon III's mistress11. The blond, green-eyed passion of the emperor loved to appear half-naked at the costume balls, which she gave endlessly. Feeling the constant need to admire herself, she ordered over four hundred of her portraits to photographers. From the photographs that have come down to us, one can get an idea of the life path of the great courtesan - from the pearl of the Tuileries to a flabby, toothless, almost bald old woman. The newly-made marquise has always been partial to the otherworldly, and at the beginning of the century her craving for mysticism blossomed in magnificent color. She longed for new knowledge, looking everywhere for books about magic, telepathy, sorcery. Husband, family and friends did not see anything strange in this, because they themselves paid tribute to fashion, but Louise was seriously carried away by it. Although this did not interfere with completely earthly entertainment. So, having gone on horseback hunting with her husband, she drew the attention of a man who was destined to change her life. He did not possess supernatural powers, but in some sense, undoubtedly, was a magician, the creator of words, wars and passions.

And why does its phenomenon not fit into the framework of popular psychophysiological theories, like modern theories of personality?

Louise's high-profile story began, of course, from childhood, with a lack of attention, which then, as you know, is sure to be compensated for. Further, a tragedy occurred in her family - the loss of her parents; she left her mark on Louise's initial isolation and shyness - there were no people with whom she felt warm and comfortable. Restoring the images of her lovely mother in her memory, Louise began to create more and more of her own images, as if in continuation of that glorious journey into the world of fashion that Lucia had opened to her. And suddenly, as time passed, at some point she realized that she had an amazing ability to “hide behind a suit” and in this very suit to be different from everyone else, to stand out from their background. This is how the long-standing desire to be noticed came true. This, of course, is not all the motives that formed her originality. There is one more, material, inheritance. But even with him, the explanation of the phenomenon of Kazati will be incomplete, since the most important secret was hidden, of course, in herself. In a generous nature, explosive nature, an undeniable sense of beauty and dignity.

Persecutor of melancholy

Portrait of a great friend

“This bald, nondescript dwarf in conversation with a woman was transformed primarily in the eyes of the interlocutor. He seemed to her almost like Apollo, because he could easily and unobtrusively give every woman the feeling that she is the center of the Universe, "Isadora Duncan recalled about Gabriel d" Annunzio ... And this was not the only "contradiction" in his infinitely talented brawler nature , an adventurer, a heartthrob, a life-lover, a poet, playwright and even a pilot who loves heights! This is about him, the Italian futurists wrote in their program manifesto: "The gods die, but D" Annunzio remains! " He came from a wealthy and well-born family (the poet's real name is Rapanetta), and despite numerous legends about the places where the future poet was allegedly born, he was born in 1863 in his own home, in the provincial Italian city of Pescara, founded in antiquity. D "Annunzio's poetic talent was revealed long before he entered the university at the department of literature and philology. And his first collection of poetry was published in 1879, when Gabriel was sixteen years old. It was a real debut, after which D" Annunzio's poetic inspiration did not leave, barely managing to acquire a verbal form in a series of his many hobbies. The host of the poet's wonderful creations is worth mentioning separately. In the memoirs of D "Annunzio's contemporaries, there is evidence that at the end of his life he compiled a huge filing cabinet of his love affairs. It occupied a separate room and was kept in Villa Vittoriale. Rome, while studying, and then tirelessly "improved" it. The atmosphere in which the poet surrounded himself can be imagined from the list made by creditors who saw a harp in a suede case, tusks of a wild boar, a gilded statuette of Antinous, altar doors, Japanese lanterns, a white deer skin, twenty-two carpets, a collection of ancient weapons embroidered with beads screen ... At the age of 20, D "Annunzio married a young, charming girl, aristocrat Maria di Gallese, who ran away from home because of him. Together they did not live long, although they managed to have three children. And then D" Annunzio's novels unfolded one after others, anticipating the erotic scenes of his novels and - leading the poet to a series of duels. The result of one of them is his bald head. (The doctor treating the wound on his head used too much antiseptic solution ...) In 1889, Gabriel d "Annunzio's first novel, Pleasure, was published, following which he became even more popular. An exponent of individualistic aestheticism, he finds himself, as they say, on the crest of a wave. And then - the drama "A Dream in Autumn Twilight", the novels "The Triumph of Death", "The Maiden of the Rocks", "The Innocent Sacrifice" and much more ... events of the time: during the war of 1914-1918, he launched a campaign for Italy's participation in this war (on the side of the Entente), wrote various speeches of a chauvinistic sense.When Italy entered the war, he volunteered for the front ... After the war, in 1919 year, being at the head of a military detachment, he occupied the city of Fiume, which seemed to his like-minded people to be the stronghold of capitalism in the Balkans. After the Fiume defeat, he began to show interest in fascism, then in the Franciscan order. indulging in thoughts and memories

Cats and gazelles

Undesirable in the closet!

Venice and Venier dei Leoni

Bowl with flowers

Extravagance behind the curtain

Count Cagliostro's pranks

Louise will be able to pay all the bills for this masquerade with great difficulty, seeking funds from the remnants of her fortune.

The beautiful marquise rests in London at the Brompton cemetery.

From the memoirs of Felix Yusupov about Louise Casati (Memoirs of Felix Yusupov, chapter 2. "... Supper with the Marquis Casati with Gabriele d" Annunzio "1920)

"... I did not have time to get to know Louise Casati, but I heard a lot about her. Her name was known in emigre circles. The stories about her eccentricities greatly occupied my imagination. I, of course, went, expecting to be curious. Reality exceeded expectations. ...

In the drawing-room, where I was led, a written beauty was reclining on a tiger skin by the fireplace. Gaseous matter enveloped her slender body. At her feet sat two greyhounds, one black and one white. Fascinated by the spectacle, I did not immediately notice the second present - the Italian officer who had come before me. The hostess raised her marvelous half-face eyes and with a lazy serpentine movement extended her hand, studded with rings with huge pearls, to me. The pen itself was divine. I bent to kiss her, anticipating an exciting continuation from an interesting start ... "

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Several picturesque portraits of Luisa Casati

"I want to become a living work of art"

Louise Casatti, the most extravagant woman in Europe, has created a truly fantastic world around her - with a unique lifestyle, fashion, interior design, feelings and emotions. Marquis, muse, goddess, witch, actress, philanthropist, patroness of the arts.

She was showered with various and most unexpected epithets: "Medusa Gorgon with hair soaked in caviar and champagne, madcap, witch ..." She managed to successfully implement her motto: "I want to become a living work of art." In her numerous temples-villas, she held the famous theatrical costume festivals, carnivals, dedicated to the great people of the past.

Luisa Casati has brought to life the eternal and indestructible dream of many women about a free, beautiful and independent life, moreover, a luxurious and shocking life, elevated to the rank of Art. She lived beautifully and freely, for her pleasure, like a real Goddess.

In her luxurious gardens, drowning,

Among the birds of paradise, flowers of double roses,

Opening themselves, fragrant bloomed,

Moths circled around

Like clouds fluttering over everything;

There were nooks and corners around the lanterns.

And in this garden there is an alcove of heaven,

She was a marquise more beautiful than all colors.

Louise has always sharply differed from everyone around her with her unusual appearance and clothes. Imagine a marquise going for a walk with two cheetahs on leashes with diamond collars, throwing a leopard-print robe or a luxurious fur coat over her naked body. And instead of jewelry, she often wore a necklace of live snakes around her neck, with which she kissed.

Men in the life of Louise Casati

They say that behind every successful woman is a man. There were several of them behind Luisa Casati. Her husband contributed to the beginning of her creative ascent. The very sweet Marquis Camillo Casati Stampa di Soncino, the Marquis di Roma, a native of the oldest Milanese family, met one fine day with a young and modest Louise and almost immediately proposed to her, he was 21 years old, and she was 18. And at nineteen she was already married Camillo, and their daughter Christina was born in the marriage. The impoverished m arkiz had a title, a circle of famous and famous people. Louise was the youngest daughter of a wealthy cotton merchant, Alberto Amman, a native of Austria, who was granted the title of count by King Umberto I of Italy.

For the Marquis Casati, the most important thing was to be able to do what he loved - hunting. He hunted, and she was formed as the future star of the European beau monde, gradually conquering a prominent place in high society.

Soon Lweeza found herself a lover. The famous poet Gabriele d'Annunzio became him. At that time, not only her numerous portraits by famous artists were very popular, but also one caricature in which Louise was depicted in an embrace with this famous lover, the poet D'Annunzio, in the middle of the Marquis's bed.

Although the Marquise Casati spent her childhood and adolescence in Milan, it was D'Annunzio who instilled in her a passion for Venice, often telling her about this amazing city. At first he was her lover, and then her friend. Moreover, he was one of those who helped to reveal in her her rare talent of the Goddess and "conquer" Europe.

They say that the Marquis Casati reacted almost indifferently to his wife's love affair, at least there were no family scandals. Louise still had many virtues, and he appreciated l them to the fullest. She did not restrict his freedom, gave birth to his beautiful daughter and, which is very important, enriched his treasury. And yet she was not made for marriage, spouse broke up, having filed a divorce only ten years later. According to legend, Luisa Casati became the world's first divorced Catholic woman. This also contributed to the creation of her image.

If her husband laid the foundation for her ascent, then the poet and writer d'Anunzio was the main figure, her main teacher and advisor, with the help of whom the young marquise successfully continued her ascent to the heights of fame. He carried her away both as a man and as a poet and writer, introduced her to many representatives of European bohemia. He dedicated his works to her and it was he who first discovered in her a passion for unusual behavior, theatrical and mythical effects, being an unsurpassed professional in this matter. They were kindred spirits. Louise was 18 years younger than d'Annunzio.

As you know, d'Annunzio saw a goddess in every woman. Louise became for him Cora (this is one of the names of the Greek goddess Persephone). Their relationship, first love and then friendly, lasted all their lives. He always remembered her with tenderness and admiration:

“Luisa Casati is a woman of amazing beauty. When I asked with what feeling she wears her proud mask, she replied that it seems to her that, as she passes, she triumphantly leaves her image in the air itself, as if it were plaster or wax, and thus perpetuates herself everywhere, wherever never visited. In these words, she expressed, perhaps, an unaccountable desire for power and immortality, inherent in all beauty. "

Luisa Casati and Venice

In 1910, Louise bought an old palazzo in Venice - the Venier Palace, whose windows overlooked the Grand Canal. Kazati fit perfectly with her extravagant appearance in this amazing city as different from all others and individual as herself. She threw balls right in Piazza San Marco. But even the Venetians, accustomed to various bright performances and miracles, showed interest in her palace and garden. In her green garden, two cheetahs were walking, thrushes, parrots, peacocks were frolicking, and she got whitebirds and peacocks somewhere ... Besides them, there were numerous primates and her beloved cats. All these animals adored Louise and obeyed their Goddess unquestioningly.

Cheetahs, lions, panthers, snakes

Among the paths, at the door,

Her hands and knees were caressed,

Serving as protection from people

And maybe in the midst of earthly commotions

The most reliable were all friends.

They, having substituted their manes, crests

Looking into her eyes, they hiccuped the caresses of Her hands ...

How did she manage to transform herself into a living work of art? Of course, Luisa Casati did not immediately become a bright work of art, the timid duck gradually turned into a luxurious swan. At first, she was a modest girl with huge expressive eyes, who indulged in creative fantasies all her free time. And only then this timid girl turned into a trendsetter, a muse of artists and poets, an organizer of her famous carnival performances and the most extravagant woman in Europe.

Louise started by creating her appearance. Her passion for reincarnation manifested itself in her youth: even then she liked, wearing an unusual dress, to be bright and noticeable. Later she began to build her stunning image using incredible courage, imagination, connections and material basis. Then she skillfully learned to be naked, using special clothes for this, as if in a dress and as if naked, it was very erotic with her excellent physical characteristics, it is not for nothing that the popular joke of the Venetians about the Marquis Casati “she had only perfume on her clothes” quickly spread everywhere.

Muse, patroness of the arts and generous philanthropist

It is not surprising that Luisa Casati became a living Muse for many famous creative people of that time, Italian futurists, painters and sculptors, the heroine of several of the most popular novels. More than 130 of her portraits by the most famous artists are known. Poets scribbled poetry about her unusual beauty, couturiers sewed stunning outfits for her ... It is known that she was able to entertain even the most jaded and capricious aristocrats in her performances directed by herself ... But above all, she had fun herself, all this she did primarily for yourself, for your own pleasure.

Louise was a trendsetter, patron of the arts, inspirer of geniuses and a generous patron of the arts. She sponsored many artists, composers, writers, musicians, couturiers, helping famous and unknown, among whom were Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Alberto Martini, Giovanni Boldini, Arthur Rubinstein, Pablo Picasso and many others.

Fancy-dress balls and masquerades alternated one after another. She chose a certain era, the interiors were stylized for this era and guests arrived at the ball in the costumes of the heroes of the chosen time. Once she showed up at a ball in the form of the Byzantine Empress Theodora (wife of Justinian). The life she created around herself was akin to theater and cinema - she herself was a director, an actress, and a screenwriter.

In the midst of darkness, her feasts are filled with fire,

Here the ancient pictures of Rome came to life,

In a white tunic, midnight star,

She was like a vine in the midst of a feast;

Eyes close from glamor

A holiday of peace opened up before them.

Tearing off the tunic among the half-naked slaves,

The Marquis got up; purple cover.

In addition to Venice, there was Rome, Paris, Capri, India, America, London and other places, where she performed her performances in the natural landscape of life or in her many palaces, creating spectacular decorations with the help of exotic animals, expensive antique works of art, complementing all this with the most famous people of her era, who entertained themselves at carnivals and celebrations held by her.

Elsa Schiaparelli, a famous Italian stylist, designer, artist, said of her: “This tall, thin woman with wildly painted eyes dragged with her an age of former splendor, a century of wealthy individualists whose sole purpose was to shock the public.”

Balls and carnivals by Luisa Casatti

One of her contemporaries recalls the splendor of the ball that the Marquise gave in her Palais de Rose in her Parisian palace: “We arrived at about midnight in a terrible storm. It seemed to us that we had a fabulous vision. The house was surrounded by a line of tiny electric lamps ... The footmen scurried along the paths in luxurious, gold-embroidered camisoles, satin pants and silk stockings. In spite of the flood, all the stars of the Comedie Francaise and the most famous poets and artists of that time gathered in the house. The reception was truly striking in splendor ... With her tall stature, she also wore a very tall black hat studded with stars. The face was not visible under the mask, from under which huge eyes sparkled to match the diamonds that strewn their arms, neck and shoulders. Like a somnambulist, she walked through the halls, bowing to everyone ... ”All guests at the entrance were presented with golden roses, smelling of pink essence.

Finds dusk; sovereign moon

Hangs like an apple over a quiet river;

As if death, the marquise is cold

The eyes are outlined, shine with darkness,

Another contemporary recalls another ball dedicated to the memory of Count Cagliostro: “The preparations for the holiday were grandiose. Before the arrival of the guests, the palace garden was lined with burning torches, the tables abounded with food, the servants were dressed in wigs and costumes in accordance with the spirit of the times of the great sorcerer. Who was not here! Peter the Great, Marie Antoinette, Count D'Artois ... But the action was reversed by the very forces of nature, such a thunderstorm began that lightning seemed to be about to set fire to everyone present. A terrible panic arose, and the guests in horror began to scatter in all directions right along the streams of water, moreover, being watered from above. Everything was confused: suits, crinolines, wigs, make-up flowed over their faces in streams. It was a terrible sight ... "

Louise is said to have had a bitchy temper and enjoyed the fact that her extravagant antics worked on her image. She preferred to communicate more with men than with women, whom she often simply ignored. It was said that during the famous Parisian masquerade, arranged by Casati in memory of Count Cagliostro, the marquise locked one of the ladies in the closet for the whole evening, in retaliation for trying to copy her costume.

Isadora Duncan, Felix Yusupov, Sergei Diaghilev, Vaslav Nijinsky ... The house of Luisa Casati was a frequent meeting place for the brightest personalities of that era, who were an integral part of the magnificent scenery of these events. At one of her receptions, where Sergei Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky were present, the following case is described:

“Once at one of the feasts, after two glasses of wine, Isadora Duncan invited Nijinsky to a waltz. “Yes,” Kazati said after the dance. - It is a pity that this boy did not meet me when he was two years old. I would have taught him to dance. "

Sometimes Casatti played with dolls. Louise went out with a wax mannequin - with her exact copy - which she sat next to her at the table and so spent her evenings.

In a leopard cloak for eternal rest

“In her life, this woman has never changed the legend,” said the writer Philippe Julian. So she rushed through life - like a bright comet, illuminating everything around with a dazzling flame. In this flame of glory, she burned up, later spending all her fortune. This was another strange feature of her - excessive generosity. She felt too big to be petty and squandered for embodiment. her holidays, everything that she had, all her palaces and money, moreover, she there was an unpaid debt of $ 30 million to creditors. But until the end of her life, Louise was invariably a living work of art. Having become poor, she continued to attract people to her with her charm.

It used to be that Lou, forgotten, covered the roses

On a black velvet carpet

Taking the candle in hand, she was dying:

She lay in a coffin; her crazy eyes

Dim; she faded in the darkness,

Giving the last ray; palace spaciousness

Before her he put on a shroud forever,

And carried away, I was lost into oblivion ...

In 1957, at the age of 76, still exquisite and spectacular, Louise Casati left for another world - as theatrically and extravagantly as she had lived. Throughout her life, she was fond of the occult and magic, and the last event in her life was a seance, after which she died

Of course, they did not dare to dress her in black clothes. Her beloved granddaughter Mureya, with whom she spent her last years in London, dressed her in the legendary leopard raincoat. In the last minutes of her life, her very last friend Sidney Farmer was next to her. He brought her new false eyelashes and a stuffed animal of her beloved Pekingese. The beautiful and mysterious Marquis was buried in London at the rich Brompton cemetery. The famous lines from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra are carved on the gravestone: “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale. Her infinite variety ”(“ There is no end to her variety. Age and habit are powerless before her ”).

When a beautiful flower dies

The world is with him

Grieves and suffers.

The gift of the miracle of the Marquise Casati

The madcap, the witch, the gorgon Medusa with hair "soaked in caviar and champagne", she - "an allegory of sickening greatness" with ruby claws - spoke of her alone. Goddess, dazzling Persephone, "Live metamorphosis ”, the eternal muse - others said.

The Marquise Casati evoked strange feelings among her contemporaries: for outside observers she was a rich eccentric, for those close to her and knowing her well, she was a delicate, refined, intelligent aesthetic. Artists painted her tirelessly - in them she kindled a fire. And one of the most fashionable poets of the era, the famous heartthrob Gabriele d "Annunzio, fell in love with her at first sight.

And so what if she lived in a fictional world and, entertaining herself, entertained others?

Louise Amman was born in the "golden cradle". Her father, Alberto Amman, was a major European industrialist - he owned a textile factory in Pordenone, producing cotton fabrics. He inherited his interest in textile production from his father, a native of the Austrian city of Bregenz, Franz Severin Amman, who once moved from Austria to Italy, where he founded two weaving factories (one near Milan), and became Francesco Saverio. His son, Alberto, was equally successful - in addition to manufacturing in Pordenone, he headed the Italian Cotton Industry Association, of which he was the founder. At the age of 32, in 1879, he married Lucia Bressi, a 22-year-old native of Vienna (from an Austrian-Italian family). A year later, on January 22, the couple had their first daughter, Francesca, and a year later, on January 23, 1881, a second daughter, who was baptized Louise Adela Rose Maria at the time of her baptism. Prosperity was prepared for both girls. Parents by that time had several houses, including a mansion in the royal park of Villa Reale in Monza and Villa Amalia on the shores of Lake Como. Of course, King Umberto I knew Alberto Amman and celebrated him among his subjects. One of the king's confessions is the title of count of Alberto.

Not much is known about Louise's childhood.

He outlived his wife by only two years.

The girls were taken care of by their uncle Edoardo Amman, Alberto's younger brother. The sisters, who inherited a huge fortune, were by then 16 and 15 years old.