Ernestine Countess Strassoldo (1695–1766) was the longest-serving matron in Marianne’s circle, holding the post of Fräuleinhoffmeisterin — the supervisor of the young unmarried maids of honour (namely Juliana and Leontine), responsible in particular for their conduct, duties, and — last but not least — their potential marriage prospects.
In her recent past, the year 1746 proved to be a true annus horribilis for the Countess. Within the span of eleven months, she lost her daughter-in-law, her only son, and her husband. She was left with her one-year-old grandson, heir to his grandfather’s legacy, which now had to be managed by the Countess in the child’s name. Matters did not go smoothly: several estates and other properties had to be sold in order to cover considerable debts.
How one evaluates the Countess’s character depends, at least in part, on whether these difficulties stemmed from her own methods of administration or from decisions taken earlier by her late husband. In either case, I imagine her as a practical woman — perhaps not the sharpest crayon in the box, but certainly endowed with a solid measure of common sense.
Sadly, once again, no identified portrait of the Countess appears to have survived.
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