A cracked lip and a broken heart: Anna Constantia Countess Cosel

Anna Constantia von Brockdorff (1689-1765), once considered the most beautiful woman in the whole of Europe, was an extremely accentuated personality. Shortly after her divorce from Adolph Magnus von Hoym, her rise in the Dresden court began in 1705. She became the most famous mistress of Augustus II (the Strong), Elector of Saxony, King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Lithuania. The king signed a secret wedding treaty with her, even though he was already officially married to Christiane Eberhardine von Brandenburg-Bayreuth. He made his mistress the Countess Cosel. The perfection of her beauty makes her the ultimate luxury. In the early 18th century, an unknown painter created her portrait in oil on canvas for the Palais Bärenstein, Saxony. The painting was acquired in 2006 by the State Painting Gallery Old Masters, Dresden. Her beautiful smile expressed self-confidence and erotic charisma. As the painting shows a craquelé—a sign of aging—the countess lost eventually her outstanding position at the Dresden court and ended imprisoned in the castle of Stolpen. It was said that she preserved her beauty worthy of the throne.