The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-02
NY la MARau1sE DE FoNTENoY

| wv pert, who Is now IN London
| w playing the role OF fairy god
mother to her nephew, Prince
Anthony Albert Radziwill. and abetting
| Deacon against the wishes of his
mother. she is the iattcr's sister, and.
like her. a daughter of the late Count
Branicki. who was one of the leaders
de Halpert enjoys the unusual distinc-
ton of having been dame du palais at
one and the same time to no less than
three women of sovereign rank. name
~, of the two Expresses Of Russia and
of Queen Helen of Italy. While she
has retained the former two dignities.
she severed her connection with the
court Of the ouirinal when she secured
judicial separation from her first
husband. The latter was Prince Piere
Florence and Rome. and after his
death, three years ago. she married
Charles de Halpert. who is connected
with the Department OF Foreign AZ.
fairs at st. Petersburg. He is man
considerably younger than herself.
It Is the death of her first husband.
Prince Strozzi, that has given rise to
so much confusion in connection with
especially of his magnificent palace at
Florence. Overwhelmed with debts.
and realizing that neither OF his two
brothers had male issue. nor yet
of the palace, he bequeathed the lat
ter along with his family archives, to
the state. the archives in particular
containing perfect mine of historical
information, and being Of priceless
tional on the payment OF certain
charges. namely, the dover rights OF
his widow, now Nine. de Halpert, and
the payment spread over four years,
OF 100000 to his brothers The en-
al told cOuld not
100000 that IS to say 100000 francs.
He likewise benueatfled all his magni-
ftcent collection OF paintings. old mas
ters, and family portraits, 10 the mu.
ncipality of Florence, STIMULATING that
they should be kept together a a coll
lection either In the palace itself. by
arrangement with fine state. or else in
some equally suitable building.
ment did not see its way to accent the
bequest of tho Strozzl Palace 1t has
too many historic palaces on its hands
as 1t is. and the cost of their mainte-
the resources of the crown and of the
treasury. On the other hand. the mu.
nicipality. while'it has already accepted
the bequest of the pictures does not
wish to accept the palace. on the
itself with the 100000 of francs In
the form OF payments to Nine. de Hal
pert and to Prince Pere's two surviv-
ing brothers, nor yet with the obliga-
tons to pay off the big mortgages with
which the palace is encumbered, Fin
ally. Nine. de Halpert. the widow or
the testator, and his two brothers and
heirs. absolutely refuse to keep the
palace or the archives, on the ground
from them by the testator's viii, and
that they do not wish to render Them
selves responsible for his debts;
Thus the Strozzi Palace for the time
r,,tth m, nrIr
neither the Italian government nor the
CITY of FLORENCE nor the Strozzi family
will have anything to do With It. 10
add to the confusion. the ltailan gov
eral offers from foreign capitalists. IN
Guiding one it Is said, from j. Pier,
pont Morgan, does not dare to offend
popular sentiment by selling the palace
For the strozzi Palace has been for
the last 500 years one OF tho most
superb and majestic ornaments OF the
city on the Arno. and a familiar lanu-
mark to every one OF the many thou-
sands of American tourists who have
visited Florence. 1t is masterpiec.
of medieval architecture, and built of
such frst-class material that It STANDS
today as perfect In every detail and
when completed away back in the early
part Of the fifteenth century. The
palace is the work Of the architects
Renedetto da MaJano and OF Slmohe del
Pollajuolo, surnamed II Crenica (the
story TELLER, while the Fanali or corn
err lanterns. the link holders and the
rings are among the finest examples
Of the wonderfll SKIN nth the eelebrasea
nicknamed by Lorenzo d. Medici as the
"Caparra" (the Pledgel, because ne
would never give credit to any cns-'
toner 1t was to Niccolo. by. the:Sby,
that George Eliot sent Tito" to buy
his mail shirt, 1.-THE garment of feat"
The Strozzis are one Of the Oldest
houses Of the patriciate Of FLORENCE,
their antiquity being greater. Indeed,
than that Of the city Itself and it's ~
of a very ancient family in records OF
the year 1850 still in existence, One
of the Strozzis as Lord Rector of the
University OF Florence in 1406, devoted
a portion of his vast. fortune to the
scripts, and i to him that the ne world ,or
eryation Of the Lives of Plutarch' ana
81 the works q Plate stro 70 a "a are It, to
ian, German and French history. Leo
stroSl commanded p feet OF some