Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse


This bronze frieze is part of the memorial to Princess Elisabeth of Hesse, in the Herrengarten in Darmstadt, Germany. It depicts the dead princess as Snow White in the glass coffin, surrounded by the grieving dwarfs. The inscription below reads "for our little princess, from the children of Darmstadt" ("unserem Prinzesschen die Kinder Darmstadts"). Sadly, one of the dwarfs was damaged when Darmstadt was bombed during World War Two.

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse (11 March 1895 - 6 November 1903), was the only daughter of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his first wife, Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her early death was rumored to be a result of poison meant for her uncle, Tsar Nicholas II, but the court physician said she died of virulent typhoid.

Info and image copyright: xollob58

1 comment:

  1. Fascinating. Wow, you really do uncover ALL things "Snow White"!

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