Background
She was born to the Belgian politician Emmanuel van der Linden d"Hoogvorst. Her mother-in-law, Marie Madeleine Lejéas-Carpentier, had been dame du palais to the Empresses Josephine and Marie-Louise.
She was born to the Belgian politician Emmanuel van der Linden d"Hoogvorst. Her mother-in-law, Marie Madeleine Lejéas-Carpentier, had been dame du palais to the Empresses Josephine and Marie-Louise.
She served as dame d"honneur to Empress Eugénie de Montijo in 1853-1867. In 1853, her spouse was appointed chamberlain to Emperor Napoleon III of France, while she received to position of dame d"honneur to the Empress. While the formally highest rank was that of the Grand-Maitresse, a position given to Anne Debelle, princesse d"Essling, the second highest female courtier, the Duchesse de Bassano, was reportedly the one doing most of the work.
lieutenant belonged to her task to receive the applications from the women wishing to be presented at court, instruct them in etiquette, approve them and finally present them, which was an important part of the Imperial protocol of representation.
She also supervised the other female courtiers. Alongside the princesse d"Essling, de Bassano had a very visible public position as it belonged to her duty to accompany the empress at all grander representational public events.
Being a public figure who dealt with those wishing admission to the court, she is also frequently depicted in contemporary memoirs. Pauline de Bassano have been described as attractive, stable, imposing and somewhat arrogant.
She served until her death in 1867, and was replaced by Marie-Anne Walewska.
Pauline de Bassano belonged to the ladies-in-waiting depicted with Eugenie in the famous painting of Empress Eugenie and her ladies-in-waiting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter from 1855.