(Kunow 1853–1924 Warsaw) Prince Alexander of Battenberg (1857–1893) in the Battle on the River Slivnitsa, 17.11.1885, signed and dated Ant. Piotrowski Krakow 1889, oil on canvas, 103 x 155 cm, framed, (Rei)

Antoni Piotrowski The artist began his studies in 1869 at the Warsaw School of Art as a student of W. Gerson. He subsequently moved to the Munich Academy in 1875 where he studied with W. Lindenschmit until 1876, and finishing his studies at the Cracow School of Fine Art with J. Matejko. After a stay of several years in Paris and Cracow he settled in Warsaw in 1900. During the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1885, Poitrowski was a correspondent and illustrator for English and French newspapers. He produced a cycle of paintings of this war which include the works „Prince Alexander of Battenberg beside the Artillery Position“, „Prince Alexander at the Vanguard“, and „Crossing the Serbian Border“. Prince Alexander of Battenberg In 1879, at the age of only 22, he was elected Prince of Bulgaria with the support of Russia. During this difficult period of upheaval he followed a conservative path, dominated by the Russian generals, which lead to the abolition of the „Tarnow constitiution“. However, the majority of conservatives were pro-western and this led inevitably to fierce conflict. After unification with East Rumelia in 1885, Serbia declared war on Bulgaria under the pretext that the union upset the balance of power in the Balkans. Although Bulgaria came out of the conflict as the victor, Battenberg‘s tenure remained precarious. His relationship with Tsar Alexander lll seriously worsened and after only seven years Alexander was forced by his officers to abdicate. He left Bulgaria and joined the Austro-Hungarian army. Nevertheless, to this day he still represents the liberation of Bulgaria, the unification of the Princedom of Bulgaria with East Rumelia, and the modernisation of the country.