Marie Antoinette's

Louise Félicité Victoire d'Aumont, Duchesse de Mazarin, at birth, was blessed by three fairies - Wealth, Duty and Ill-luck. Hot stories during those days included tales of folly and mishaps falling upon this duchesse. It made great gossip!

Let's start to discuss this party girl by explaining how busy she was. She had titles to wear and she wore them well: Louise d'Aumont, Duchesse de Mazarin, Mayenne and La Meilleraye, Countess of Ferrette, Belfort, Thann, Rosemont, Baroness of Altkirch, .....The list is too long to list! I am going to refer to her simply as the Unlucky Duchesse de Mazarin.

Born in Paris 2 October 1759, Louise grew up there and was married there in 1771 to Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. Her family was one of Frances richest. Marie Antoinette did not care for the duchesse, as she found she was rather tactless, she was no 'delicate beauty.' She was full figured, and a bit over the top. Being over the top in the 18th century is not all bad, but this unfortunate duchesse always had the worst of luck.

At one dinner party she threw it was her ingenious idea to have a massive pie presented on the table in front of her 60 guests. The fun? She arranged for 100 little birds to be baked within the crust. So after the best bakers are hired and all is set, the pie is placed on the table - guest look around - um ok?

The duchesse gave the go ahead and the pie was opened, a spell of small birds fly out! Birds EVERYWHERE. They did not fly out the windows but circled around in total chaotic confusion. They sat in the elaborate poufs of her lady guests and could not be dealt with. Finally she had to ask her guests to leave as the pests would not!

In a more marvelous scheme, the duchesse planned a fabulous winter ball. Money was no object, of course. She had mirrors installed that went from floor to ceiling, and had a shady country retreat complete with shrubbery built into the far end of the room. The scene was then separated by large sheets of glass as if it were an outside world inside.

Everything was planned as she wanted. There would be a shocking moment when it all came together - she hired an actress from the Opera to play the role of a shepherdess singing to her dog and a flock of snowy sheep - in this enclosed (indoor) pastoral landscape. What entertainment!

Misfortune struck again, and before she could signal for the actress to appear with her dog and flock, the sheep grew agitated. They panicked, and ran towards the room, breaking through the glass into the ballroom! The animals were most likely very confused by the dark flickering lights, the people everywhere and all the mirrors, and they ran into dancers, knocked guest over and broke some mirrors. Needless to say many ladies fainted!