The Arch-Duke
In November of 1796 when this print appeared, the Archduke Charles of Austria was recognized as one of England's most trusted and successful allies against the French Revolutionary forces in Germany. He had won decisive victories at Augsburg in August, Wurzburg in September, and Emmendingen in October, driving the French entirely out of Germany. His success, bravery, and youth (he was only 25) were frequently mentioned in the newspapers of the time. He was praised by George III himself in his speech at the opening of the House of Lords in October of 1796. And a portrait engraving of "The Arch-Duke Charles" by Anthony Cardon was published on October 25th and sold by Colnaghi, Sala & Co. in Pall Mall where Gillray could have easily seen it.
© Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
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With interest in the Archduke at its height, Gillray obviously took advtange of Charles's popularity to create a portrait caricature of him. But since Charles was, at this point, a heroic figure, the portrait is scarcely caricatured at all. Like other military figures by Gillray, he is shown standing on an emimence overlooking a valley from which smoke from a recent conquest arises. His arm is extended in a pose reminiscent of the famous statue of Caesar Augustus and the figure of God creating Adam in the Sistine Chapel. Only his oversized bi-corne hat and and pig-tail can be considered caricatured.
Like the later portrait caricature of another military ally, Field-Marshall Count Suwarrow-Romniskoy (1799), The Arch-Duke is listed as "Drawn from life by Lieut Swarts of the imperial Regt of Barco Hussars." But most experts agree that Lieutenent Swarts is one of many aliases for Gillray. He may have chosen the alias as a personal allusion. The Barco Hussars were light cavalry units not unlike the Queen's Dragoons that Gillray's father was part of when he fought in the War of the Austrian Succession.
Sources and Reading
- Commentary from the British Museum on The Arch-Duke.
- "Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen," Wikipedia
- Thomas Wright and R.H. Evans, Historical and Descriptive Account of the Caricatures of James Gillray #411
- Thomas Wright and Joseph Grego, The Works of James Gillray, the Caricaturist; With the History of His Life and Times p. 214.
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