Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Sicile, Duchesse de Berry (1798-1870) was an important political figure in France during the nineteenth-century as well as a generous patroness of the arts.
Born the Princess of Naples in Caserta, Italy, she was brought to Paris as a teenager to marry the middle-aged Charles-Ferdinand d'Artois, Duc de Berry, grandson of king Louis XVIII. A genuinely affectionate relationship blossomed despite all odds until his assassination four years later in 1820. From the tragedy, she emerged a controversial and influential figure in French society. Often dismissed as a scatterbrained, mediocre beauty, she nonetheless won the hearts of French citizens with her informal manners, generous support of the arts, and especially the birth of a royal heir, Henri, "the miracle child." When the July Revolution ousted the Bourbons from power in 1830, she led an insurrection against Orléan-controlled France to restore the throne to her son and was arrested for treason. After her fall from grace, she retreated from political life and quietly resumed her artistic endeavors while raising a family with her second husband, Count Hector Lucchesi-Palli (1833-1864).
The Lilly Library holds a music collection once owned by this remarkable woman. Music collections reflect more than just the taste of their creators; they also reflect a collector's musical ability and musical environment. For the Duchesse de Berry, it also marks the important events that shaped her life.