With this beautiful cape we have to start the story from the back.

We acquired this cape, along with other wonderful and rare pieces, from the estate of Dr. Alexander Eugen Duke of Württemberg (1933-2024). The cape was stored with other items in a suitcase with the label "Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria (née Princess of Bourbon-Parma) hand-embroidered underwear / parasols of Princess Clementine of Saxe-Coburg née Princess of Orleans".

Alexander was the son of Nadejda Klementine Maria of Bulgaria (1899-1958) and Albrecht Eugen Duke of Württemberg (1895-1954).

Nadejda's parents were Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma (1870-1899) and Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (1861-1948). 

Ferdinand I's parents were Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Coháry and Princess Clementine d'Orléans (1817-1907). 

This cape comes from the estate of Clementine. She married the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry August, brother of the Portuguese King Ferdinand II, on April 20, 1843 at Saint-Cloud Palace. From this time is this wedding dress. This wedding dress came into the possession of the House of Württemberg together with other items through inheritance. In our experience, people only kept clothes that were associated with a special memory.  It must have been passed down from grandmother to daughter and then to granddaughter.

This extraordinary cape is made of velvet, circa 1865. The basic shade is green, but black and salmon-colored sections also appear. These colors are repeated in the fringes, but also in the fabric. The cape is cut round at the back, typical of the round crinoline dresses of the 1860s. The front is made in the style of a dolman. Lush fringe decoration. Quilted inside. The cape looks like a transitional cape from summer to fall. In very good to excellent condition.

Front Length: ~ 120 cm
Back Length: ~ 85 cm

Biographical information:
Clementine was born on June 3, 1817, the daughter of Louis Philippe I d'Orléans, King of the French, and Maria Amalia of Bourbon, in the castle of Neuilly-sur-Seine. After her father became king in 1830, she was awarded the title Princess of Orléans. She married the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry August, brother of the Portuguese King Ferdinand II, on April 20, 1843 at Saint-Cloud Palace. The couple lived in the Palais Coburg in Vienna.