Royal Provenance: Arenberg & Serbia, Pair Of Dishes, Sterling Silver, Hunyady De Kethely

Very interesting pair of large and heavy dishes from the Arenberg-Hunyady of Kéthely Service. They were made in the workshops of the prestigious and famous goldsmith and jeweler Auguste Dufour in Brussels, established at Place Royale. The alliance coat of arms on the top of each dish is that of Prince Charles Marie d'Arenberg (1831-1896) and his Hungarian wife Julia Hunyady de Kethely (1831-1919), Dowager Princess of Serbia. Their love story hit the headlines in the third quarter of the nineteenth century. Princess Julia was, at the time of their meeting in Venice in 1864, the princess consort of Michael III Obrenovich (1823-1868), reigning prince of Serbia. Of Hungarian origin, the young Countess Julia Hunyady de Kethely met the young sovereign in Vienna where he was in exile from 1842 to 1858. These brothers were great followers of the Hungarian liberal and nationalist movements and became friends with the young Serbian sovereign who fought for the independence of his Serbia, still under Ottoman protectorate. They married in 1854 but the marriage was never a romantic success. The young prince is not only passionate about the independence of his country and has a series of romantic adventures. Recalled to his country in 1858 upon the return of his father (whom he had succeeded) to the throne of Serbia, the prince prepared to replay a major role at the head of Serbia. In 1860, on the death of his father, he succeeded him for the second time. Between the very Catholic Princess Julia and the very Orthodox Serbian people, the current will never pass. Tired of unfavorable public opinion, she accepts an important diplomatic mission to London. She had to put the cause of Serbian independence  back on the table of the British government and managed to meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister. Queen Victoria's doors unfortunately remain closed so as not to cause a diplomatic incident with the Turkish sultan. It was on her return from London that the princess, who probably did not have much desire to return home, spent many months in Paris and then in Venice where she met the young Charles Marie d'Arenberg. It's love at first sight and their relationship causes a scandal in Serbia. The young princess requests and obtains a divorce. She maintains a home in Vienna, her castle in Hungary and an annual income. Worried about her marital status, she sought advice from the apostolic nuncio in Vienna. The very Catholic princess receives a cold shower. Her marriage may have been annulled for the Serbian-Orthodox church, but for the Catholic church she is still married... But the life and throne of a Serbian sovereign are chronically in danger in the tumultuous Balkans of the 19th century . In 1868 her former husband was murdered in a park in Belgrade. Here she is, a widow for her Holy Catholic Church. However, it will be another 8 years before she marries her prince charming. They will experience a beautiful and peaceful life as a couple, traveling between their homes in Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary and Vienna. They will die without posterity...