Baron Carl Bildt on clothing said to have belonged to either Kristina or to Charlotte Friederike of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (the mother of King Frederik VII of Denmark), kept in the treasury in the church of Loreto

Source:

Anteckningar från Italien af en svensk diplomat, pages 229 to 230, by Baron Carl Bildt, 1896; original at Oxford University (digitised January 27, 2025)

https://books.google.com/books?id=7pJQ1piH4EkC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=andreas+galdenblad&source=gbs_navlinks_s

The account:

Skattkammaren är ej det minst intressanta i Loreto. Den är inredd i ett särskildt kapell, som med en rymlig gång är förenadt med kyrkan och hvilkets väggar äro klädda af stora skåp af snidad valnöt. Här äro de dyrbarheter utställda, som skänkts till madonnan efter den stora plundringen 1797. Värdet af det byte, fransmännen då förde till Paris, beräknades till 97 millioner francs; den nuvarande samlingen värderas till något öfver två millioner, men den växer årligen. Må man dock icke vänta sig att här finna något konstindustriellt museum; snarare ett kolossalt juveleraremagasin. Kalkar, krucifix, monstranser, relikvarier o. s. v. finnas i mängd, men också klockor, ringar, halsband, kedjor, allt möjligt, ända till kläder och hattar. ... En kjortel och mantel af hvit atlas, broderade rundt om med rosenknoppar i guld, tilldraga sig min uppmärksamhet. Enligt en uppgift ha de tillhört vår drottning Kristina, enligt en annan Fredrik VII:s af Danmark moder, Charlotta Fredrika af Mecklenburg-Schwerin, som dog i Rom 1840 och ligger begrafven på den tyska katolska kyrkogården bredvid Peterskyrkan. Hvilkendera är den rätta, har jag ej lyckats klargöra. ...

English translation (my own):

The treasury is not the least interesting thing in Loreto. It is furnished in a special chapel, which is connected to the church by a spacious corridor and whose walls are lined with large cabinets of carved walnut. Here are exhibited the precious things that were donated to the Madonna after the great plundering of 1797. The value of the booty that the French then brought to Paris was estimated at 97 million francs; the present collection is valued at something over two million, but it grows annually.

However, one must not expect to find here any museum of industrial art; rather a colossal jeweler's warehouse. Chalices, crucifixes, monstrances, reliquaries, etc. are found in abundance, but also bells, rings, necklaces, chains, everything possible, even clothes and hats. ...

A tunic and cloak of white silk, embroidered all around with rosebuds in gold, attract my attention. According to one account they belonged to our Queen Kristina, according to another to Frederik VII of Denmark's mother, Charlotte Friederike of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who died in Rome in 1840 and is buried in the Teutonic Catholic Cemetery next to St. Peter's Basilica. I have not been able to clarify which one is correct. ...

Above: Kristina.

Above: Charlotte Friederike of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, queen consort of Denmark.

Above: Baron Carl Bildt.

Excerpt from Christian Molbech's letter to a friend, about Kristina's shirt and some shoes or slippers supposedly being kept in the clothing chamber at Uppsala Cathedral, dated July 1, 1812

Source:

Breve fra Sverrige i Aaret 1812, volume 2, page 280, by Christian Molbech, 1817

https://books.google.com/books?id=ed1AAAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=dronning+christina+af+sverrige+brev&source=gbs_navlinks_s

The letter excerpt:

Upsala.

(1ste Jul 1812).

... En Trøie, og et Par Tøfler eller Skoe, som foregives at have tilhørt Dronning Christina, om hvem man næsten skulde troe, at hun, da hun forlod Sverrige, havde sendt sine Tøfler rundt omkring i hele Landet; thi man finder de saakaldte Christinas Tøfler paa mange flere Steder, end dette (f. Ex. i Lund, i Linkøping, paa Skokloster, o. s. v.)[.] ...

With modernised spelling:

Uppsala.

(1. juli 1812).

... En trøje og et par tøfler eller sko, som foregives at have tilhørt dronning Kristina, om hvem man næsten skulle tro, at hun, da hun forlod Sverige, havde sendt sine tøfler rundt omkring i hele landet; thi man finder de såkaldte Kristinas tøfler på mange flere steder, end dette (f. eks. i Lund, i Linköping, på Skokloster osv.). ...

English translation (my own):

Uppsala.

(July 1, 1812).

... A shirt and a pair of slippers or shoes which are claimed to have belonged to Queen Kristina, of whom one would almost believe that, when she left Sweden, she had sent her slippers around the whole country; because one finds the so-called Kristina's slippers in many more places than this (for example, in Lund, in Linköping, at Skokloster, etc.). ...

Above: Kristina.

Above: Christian Molbech.

Kristina complies with Pope Innocent XI's edict against luxury in dresses, August 4/14 (New Style), 1678

Source:

Le cabinet, ou la bibliothèque des grands, contenant des remarques & recherches sur tous les états souverains, & plusieurs memoires de ce tems bien particuliers & très-curieux, pages 9 to 10, by Gédéon Pontier, 1681

https://books.google.com/books?id=rQ99hQE9RTIC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=christine+de+suede&source=gbs_navlinks_s

The account:

Le 14. Aoust [1678] sa Sainteté fit publier deux Edits contre le luxe des habits, la Reine Christine de Suede commença la premiere à les executer, les Dames Romaines suivirent son exemple incontinent.

With modernised spelling:

Le 14 août [1678], Sa Sainteté fit publier deux édits contre le luxe des habits; la reine Christine de Suède commença la première à les exécuter. Les dames romaines suivirent son exemple incontinent.

Swedish translation (my own):

Den 14 augusti [1678] publicerade Hans Helighet två edikter mot klänningarnas lyx; drottning Kristina av Sverige var den första som började exekvera dem. De romerska damerna följde omedelbart hennes exempel.

English translation (my own):

On August 14 [1678], His Holiness published two edicts against the luxury of dresses; Queen Kristina of Sweden was the first to begin executing them. The Roman ladies immediately followed her example.

Above: Kristina.

Above: Pope Innocent XI.

Kristina's baptism cap and cushion, year 1626

Sources:

https://samlingar.shm.se/object/B6CFF6E2-DA33-4687-852A-4DD6AE6C9E83

https://samlingar.shm.se/object/F8183566-F9AD-4F97-8E57-08FDF38F5F9C

Foto: Mohr, Jens, Livrustkammaren/SHM (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Foto: Kobbernagel Hansen, Helle, Livrustkammaren/SHM (CC0)

Accounts of the royal wardrobe for Kristina

Source:

Textilvetenskap vid Uppsala universitet, photos by Julia Holm

https://www.facebook.com/events/2375191912611615/?post_id=2393104657487007&view=permalink

"What do you do if you want to research a person's clothes, but there are (almost) no clothes left? If you are lucky, there is a well-preserved archive that can tell you about the clothes and their owners.

The archives that were created during Christina's time are relatively well preserved, which may be one reason why so much research has been done on her. In the castle archives, the accounts from the royal wardrobe are preserved, and they contain bills from large parts of Christina's time as ruler. In the bills you can see how much clothes the court tailor Johan Holm sewed for Christina, in what colors and fabrics they were, and what kind of garments she used. Here you can find both the queen's more solemn garments, such as a very lavish nightgown in golden cloth with sable leather lining from 1648, or more everyday garments, such as an overcoat in gray cloth from November 1645.

Overall, she seems to have preferred black garments, something that is in line with the fashion of the time, but there is still a large color variation from light blue and gray tones to stronger yellow and red shades. Some fabrics are also said to be patterned, and most garments are decorated with large amounts of lace, often in gold thread. Large quantities of smaller garments, such as hats, shoes and socks, were also procured for Christina, the latter of which were probably torn out then as now.

One can also guess Christina's attitude to her clothes in the accounts. The time after she took office as monarch in her own right in December 1644 is marked by a refurbishment of the wardrobe. Relatively large amounts of clothing are sewn up, and the model seems to change slightly from previous years, when one begins inserting so-called fishbone, i.e. whalebone, as stiffness in the waist of the garments. Previous accounts show no such stiffness in corsets, instead she used lace under her clothes. Christina seems to have wanted to mark her entry into adulthood with her clothes!

On later occasions, one can again see other ways of relating to fashion. An example is the previously mentioned nightgown, which when sewn up in 1648 was a new garment for both the queen and the court tailor, and needs to be preceded by a toile, a sample garment, so that it gets the right design. There is still some uncertainty about exactly what a nightgown from the middle of the 17th century looks like, as it is bad with preserved garments and pictures that can be linked to the concept. However, the design of the garment and the choice suggest that it was a lavish garment for informal occasions, rather than something to sleep in.

The accounts also show the view of housekeeping and the use of materials at the time. On recurring occasions, the queen's garments are repaired or redone to keep up with fashion. Every little piece of fabric would be reused!

Unfortunately, the accounts do not contain any images, as they were not written for curious textile researchers 400 years later, but a little bling-bling in the form of some samples of gold lace!"

Shirt and bodice that Kristina wore at age two, year 1628

Source:

Livrustkammaren (photos by Erik Lernestål)

This infant's shirt and bodice were worn by Kristina at about the age of two years old in 1628. Sara Larsdotter Stiernflycht was one of Kristina's maids at the time, then maid to Kristina's mother Maria Eleonora, and after Sara was dismissed from service she kept these two items in her possession as a reminder of the child. The shirt was sewn from white linen cloth, and the bodice was sewn from bright pink silk, the colour of which has inevitably faded over time.

370 years ago today...: Kristina's coronation robes

Source:

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_kröningsmantlar#Drottning_Kristinas_kröningsmantel

On this day 370 years ago, October 20, 1650, Kristina was crowned king of Sweden at Stockholm Cathedral. She/he/they wore this coronation robe. It is made of bluish-violet, purple velvet and was manufactured in Paris, France. It originally had 7,645 embroidered gold crowns in groups of three (two over one) with trim of gold embroidery with pearls sewn on. The crowns and pearls were removed in the 18th century. The ermine fur hem and collar are also missing. This mantle was reused at the coronation of King Karl XI and has also been worn by the kings Karl X Gustav and Karl XII. The last king to be crowned in this mantle was King Fredrik I in 1720.

The mantle is kept at the Royal Armoury (Livrustkammaren) in Stockholm and has also been on display in an exhibit at Stockholm Cathedral a few years ago where it was viewed by the young Princess Estelle, who will become Queen of Sweden herself when she grows up.

(Photos courtesy of Erik Lernestål for Livrustkammaren at Wikimedia Commons)

Above: Kristina in similar robes.

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