
Benjamin Walker
Head of Dept.
Sold for US$6,325 inc. premium
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Conceived in the style of Italian Renaissance master Giuseppe Arcimboldo, this exquisitely and minutely carved plaque is a searing caricature of Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I produced at a moment of intense national feeling in Italy during the Risorgimento, the period of Italian 'reawakening' that led to eventual Italian unification. The plaque depicts Franz Josef in profile, his head composed of grotesque beasts in various contortions. At the center is a devilish baby suckling at the breast of a woman with ghoulish face, titled "Austria", the baby is coiled by a snake carved with the Italian words "Tirannia", "Dispotismo", "Ingiustizia" (Tyranny, Despotism, Injustice) etc.; the surrounding grotesque figures are each titled in Italian with their respective sins; around Franz Josef's neck is his tunic collar, bearing his motto "Viribus Unitis" above a scene of figures in battle and the word "Solferino", Franz Josef's significant military defeat of 1859 by the French and Sardinian armies. Standing in front of the bust of Franz Josef is another grotesque figure, holding what appears to be a tall lit candle carved with the date 1863 and the word "Temporal", possibly hinting that time is running out for Franz Josef - which it was, the Treaty of Vienna signed in 1866 forced Austria to cede Lombardy-Venetia, which soon became part of the Kingdom of Italy. Above this figure are two flying bats which appear to be corruptions of the Austrian heraldic eagle, and two other grotesque figures complete the composition, including one with horns holding a rosary, with carved letters in the drapery that appear to read 'POCA', possibly a signature.