books, cats

By József Faragó (1866-1906) hungarian graphic (http://www.mke.hu/lyka/02/e2p145k1.jpg) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

This delightful bookplate was designed around 1900 by the Hungarian painter and illustrator Jozsef Farago (1866-1906). Fargo spent time studying and working in Munich and Paris; Art Nouveau was developing at those places and in this time, and I see a simple form of it here.

twelve children and a dog

thanks wikimedia commons (PD:100)

Baroness Krisztina Nyáry de Bedegh's life was brief by our standards (she passed away at 37 in 1641). According to the requirements of her time and station you could say she made the most of it: she had no less than twelve children, most with her second husband Count Nikolaus Esterhazy, Palatine of Hungary.  As befitting the image of a loyal wife, she's portrayed here in 1626 (age 22)  in decorous pose complete with small dog as living marker of her fidelity.  Here's a slightly better look.

Of course a highborn lady had very little hand in raising her own children then, but as always I imagine a dog's company would still be restful.