The Gallery of Beauties

A tour in Munich, Bavaria is certainly not complete without a visit to the imposing Nymphenburg Palace. The palace was used to be the summer residence of the Kings of Bavaria, and it is now famous not only for its collection of artworks, but also for housing the Schönheitengalerie or the Gallery of Beauties.

The Gallery of Beauties is a collection of 36 portraits of the most beautiful women in Munich. The portraits were commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, a man known for his eccentricity and his love for beauty. German portrait painter Joseph Stieler painted the 36 portraits, featuring women from royalty (including King Ludwig's relations), nobility, and middle-classes, the latter group were shown wearing elaborate dresses and hair accessories despite their humble backgrounds. In 1861, Friedrich Durck painted two more portraits for the Gallery of Beauties (the portraits of Anna Greiner and Carlotta von Breidbach-Bürresheim).

Ella's Beauty

She was reputed to be the most beautiful of Queen Victoria's granddaughters. Tall and stately, with golden-brown hair and deep-set blue-grey eyes, contemporaries regarded her as one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe, and the Russians - in the words of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich - 'fell in love' with her the moment she arrived in Russia from her native Hesse-Darmstadt. It's not difficult to 'fall in love' with the charming Ella. With her ravishing beauty, gracefulness and good heart, Ella certainly won the hearts of people from all walks of life. 

This is a poem dedicated to Ella by her friend and admirer, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia, also known as the poet "KR".

I look at you and I enjoy it ever

You are so beautiful, no words can tell!

Oh! I am sure that such beauty hosts

A soul that is wonderful as well.

The depth of modesty and quiet sorrow

Is in your eyes of beauty so pure

You are as calm as an angel;

And as a lady, gentle and demure.

Amidst the many earthly sins and evils

Let nothing blur the pure soul of thine,

And let us all sing praises to the Creator

Who gave such beauty to a soul divine!