Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
The Marriage of the Count and Countess
Anticipating his forthcoming marriage to Erdmuth, he wrote prophetically to his grandmother (Sept. 7, 1722):
There will be some difficulties for I am a poor match, and I confess the Countess will have to content herself with a life of self-denial. She will have to cast all ideas of rank and quality to the winds, as I have done, for they are not things of divine institution but inventions of human vanity. If she wishes to aid me, she must give herself to what is the sole object of my life—namely, to win souls for Christ, and that in the midst of contempt and reproach.
Erdmuth and the Count were referred to affectionately as Papa and Mama. Note the headdress and ribbon. A blue ribbon was typical of the married sisters’ choir. A white ribbon would indicate a widow.
