Paul's Gray-Blue

During the Republic of Venice, what people pursued was not religious devotion, but the freedom to indulge themselves. Naturally, lavish banquets came with enormous expenses.

After spending three hundred million dollars on a Renaissance palace, one had to furnish it. A single piece of Renaissance antique furniture was not cheap; even a modest estimate for a complete set came to twenty or thirty million dollars.

Napoleon stripped the Doge's Palace of all its furniture and treasures to fill his own palaces. He had nearly dismantled the Marciana Library and shipped it home.

After he lost Venice to Austria, the House of Habsburg proved equally fond of luxury. But Napoleon had already taken the best things, so those soldiers not only stripped Venice's palaces, but also tore down silk wallpaper from Venetian homes and rolled up their brocade curtains. These things adorned not only Vienna's Golden Hall, but also Princess Cissy's suite.

Princess Cissy was killed by an Italian anarchist, and many of her admirers found it regrettable. Yet they selectively ignored Austria's "civilized" habit of robbing other people's homes.

Princess Cissy's suite was exactly what Venetian palaces had looked like in their heyday. Restoring it completely would cost the buyer another fortune. To host a proper dinner party, caviar, truffles, and foie gras were indispensable. Add waiters, chefs, and sterling silver tableware, and it would cost at least twenty thousand dollars. Only a Swedish marchioness could afford such a lavish banquet.

Sweden had a total population of only ten million. Taxpayers simply could not support an ever-expanding royal family any longer. The Swedish royal family was the poorest in Europe; even the king was driving royal family members out.

But no one asked where the marchioness's money came from. Everyone just had fun. Why bring up such a mood-killing subject?