847 - F. WITZLEBEN (*1802), Frederick William III at the Theater, Lithograph

F. WITZLEBEN (*1802), Frederick William III at the Theater, Lithograph Friedrich Hartmann von Witzleben (1802 Johannisburg – 1873 Niesky): King Frederick William III of Prussia in the theater box, 19th century, Lithograph Technique: Lithography on paper Inscription: Inscribed below the image: “Kön. lith. Inst. Berlin. For the best of the flooded in Commission in the C. G. Lüderitz’schen Kunst-Verlagshandlung Berlin” Date: 19th century Description: This is a very unusual portrait in which von Witzleben depicts Frederick William III, King of Prussia. Seen from behind in a lost profile, he sits in a theater box and gazes into the void. The curtains and the balustrade are merely hinted at and are rendered as a thin line. As a portrait of a ruler without a throne, it is highly intriguing and also reveals much about the artist’s own view of the king’s physique. This sheet, printed by the Royal Lithographic Institute in Berlin, depicts a humble monarch who displays neither a ceremonial pose nor medals or splendor as a protective shield. Only his prominent chin allows for identification. Otherwise, it could be any citizen drawn in secret by an artist. When a monarch is presented to his people in this way—featureless and downright elusive—it is hard to avoid a psychological interpretation. Even to his contemporaries, he did not present himself as a dazzling personality. He was usually more of a figurehead than a ruler, and even today his name is not primarily associated with his person or his deeds, but with the cult surrounding his wife Luise, who died young. In this print, the king already appears as a forgotten man. Person: King Frederick William III of Prussia, House of Hohenzollern (1770, Potsdam – 1840, Berlin) At the beginning of his reign, Frederick William III pursued a policy of neutrality, which led to Prussia’s isolation and dependence on France, but also to territorial gains. Faced with the threat of danger, he ordered the mobilization against Napoleon in 1806, who dealt a devastating defeat to the Prussian army at the Battle of Jena and Auerstedt. The Peace of Tilsit in 1807 sealed Prussia’s defeat with major territorial losses. To strengthen the remaining state, Frederick William III facilitated the Prussian reforms carried out by Karl Freiherr vom Stein, Karl August von Hardenberg, Gerhard von Scharnhorst, and Wilhelm von Humboldt. It was only after some hesitation that he joined the wars of liberation against Napoleon in 1813 with his appeal “To My People.” After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, he ensured Prussia’s resurgence and the recovery of its former territories. However, he did not continue the state reforms but pursued a policy of restoration in the spirit of the Holy Alliance with Russia and Austria. Frederick William III was considered popular because of his bourgeois background and his love marriage to Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Under his reign, the classicist expansion of Berlin by Karl Friedrich Schinkel began. Keywords: 19th century, Biedermeier, Portraits, Germany, Size: Paper: 35.4 cm x 24.9 cm (13.9 x 9.8 in), Image: 17.9 cm x 13.4 cm (7 x 5.3 in) Condition: In fairly good condition. Condition is consistent with its age; there is slight rubbing in the margin (above the inscription “Kön. lith. Inst. Berlin”). Slightly stained in the margins; two small tears in the white margin at the bottom.