View of Vienna from the Spinnerin am Kreuz during the siege of October 1848 depicting the troops of Field Marshal Windisch-Grätz joining those of the Ban of Croatia Jelaïiì, watercolour and tempera on card, 93 x 250 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection, Italy.

We are grateful to Dr. Cav. Arabella Cifani for the scholarly advice and cataloguing of this work.

The watercolour depicts the exact moment of the October 1848 revolution in which the troops of Field Marshal Alfred zu Windisch-Graetz joined those of the Ban of Croatia, Count Josip Jelačié. The meeting took place at the foot of a historic Viennese monument that still stands today: the Spinnerin am Kreuz, an historic landmark for those arriving in the Austrian capital.

From 23 to 28 October 1848, Vienna was besieged by university students demanding a more liberal government, the ousting of Metternich from the Imperial Chancellery and the revision of the constitution. The students besieged the Hofburg, and the royal family along with Emperor Ferdinand fled to Innsbruck, leaving everything to the army. Faced with the rebels’ determination, Field Marshal Windisch-Graetz was given the task of suppressing the revolt. The Ban of Croatia Jelačié marched alongside him towards the capital with 40,000 men. Meanwhile, buildings symbolising imperial power and especially the offices of usurers were set on fire in the city. Once a breach was opened in the rebel defences, the imperial army easily managed to rout the remaining men entrenched behind the barricades. Order was re-established at great cost.

The style of the painting is most probably the work of an Austrian artist. It is very descriptive and precise with topographical strokes and very well delineated details. Several Viennese painters were in fact officially employed by the Habsburg court during the revolution of 1848/49 to document the battles and daily life of the Austrian imperial army and were sent to Northern Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and Transylvania.