Pauline von Metternich
| Princess Pauline | |
|---|---|
| Princess von Metternich | |
 |
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| Born |
25 February 1836 Vienna, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 28 September 1921 (aged 85) Vienna, Republic of Austria |
| Spouse | Richard Klemens, Prince von Metternich |
| Issue | Princess Sophie von Metternich Countess Pascalina Antoinette von Metternich - Sandor Winneburg Countess Klementina Marie von Metternich - Sandor Winneburg |
| Father | Count Moritz Sándor |
| Mother | Leontine von Metternich |
Princess Pauline Clémentine von Metternich - Winneburg zu Beilstein née Countess Pauline Clémentine Marie Walburga Sándor de Szlavnicza (25 February 1836 in Vienna – 28 September 1921 in Vienna) was a famous Viennese and Parisian socialite of great charm and elegance. She was an important promoter of the work of the German composer Richard Wagner and the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. She was also instrumental to the creation of the haute couture industry.
Princess Pauline von Metternich (also known as "de Metternich" and "von Metternich-Winneburg") was born into the Hungarian noble family of Sándor de Slawnitza. Her father, Moritz Sándor, described as "a furious rider", was known throughout the Habsburg empire as a passionate horseman. Her mother, Princess Leontine von Metternich, was a daughter of the Austrian chancellor Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich (architect of the Concert of Europe). It was at his home in Vienna that Pauline spent almost her whole childhood.
In 1856, she married her uncle, Prince Richard von Metternich, a son of chancellor Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich. They lived a happy conjugal life, despite his frequent love-affairs with actresses and opera prima donnas, and had three daughters.
Pauline accompanied her husband, an Austrian diplomat, on his missions to the royal court in Dresden and then the imperial court in Paris, where they lived for almost eleven years (1859 to 1870). She played an important role in the social and cultural life of Dresden and Paris, and, after 1870, Vienna. She was a close friend and confidante of French Empress Eugénie, and, with her husband, was a prominent personality at the court of Emperor Napoleon III. She introduced fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth to the Empress and thus started his rise to fame.
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