Anton von Werner, Figure studies for the Berlin Congress

Lot description

Monogrammed and dated lower left: AvW Congreß 1878 One week after the opening of the so-called ‘Berlin Congress’ to end the Balkan War, Anton von Werner was commissioned to capture the global political event in a monumental painting for the ballroom of Berlin City Hall. Bismarck himself obtained the consent of the participants to be portrayed. The painting depicts the final act of the conference on 13 July 1778. The assembled diplomats are sitting at a large table, others are standing, as are Bismarck and the Russian ambassador in London, Count Shuvalov, in the centre - all recognisable in their physiognomy and clothing. The present sketch shows Count Károlyi, the Austrian ambassador in Berlin, standing on the left and Lord Salisbury on the right in conversation with Alexander Carathéodory Pasha, the representative of the Ottoman Empire. The 210 x 320 cm painting itself was not completed until 1782.