Art in everyday life in the Habsburg monarchy. Count Charles-Joseph de Clary-Aldringen (1777-1831)

Abstract

The article explores the relation between aristocratic status and art in daily life of Charles-Joseph de Clary-Aldringen, the landlord of Teplice in Bohemia. The aristocrat acquired great skills in all arts, but was not a professional. He was an amateur who used art to express his membership of the grand monde by taking part in performances, by staging himself, and by knowing how to decipher all the social codes. We discuss his role as a diarist, as artist drawing pictures, as theatre actor and as collector of art. We show how the competition between aristocratic families motivated him to develop the spa of Teplice. We explore the role of drawing and letter-writing in his self-expression. If the professional lives by his art, amateurs like the Comte de Clary live by the arts. The requirements are different. The aristocrat seeks to construct and stage an identity where the nobleman becomes the artist of his own life by combining the imperative of social distinction with aesthetic pleasure.