Vienna, 1814: How The Conquerors Of Napoleon Made Love, War, And Peace At The Congress Of Vienna - Plot & Excerpts
All the clouds are dispersed. Europe owes the happy issue of the negotiations to the departure of Lord Castlereagh. —CONVERSATION OVERHEARD AT A BALL IN EARLY 1815 The arrival of the Duke of Wellington had not only affected Vienna’s diplomatic activity and social calendar; it was also posing a problem to the painter Jean-Baptiste Isabey, who was trying to capture the congress on canvas. He had been working for some time, and he had finally found a way to balance all the strong personalities, many of them patrons, into one single painting, and yet not offend national sensibilities or fragile egos. The painting, which depicted the delegates gathered in a conference room, turned out to be a compromise in the best spirit of Vienna diplomacy. Metternich, the president of the Congress, draws the eye, as the only standing figure in the foreground. Castlereagh, though, commands the center, sitting with his legs gracefully crossed and elbow resting on the table. The light shining through the window, however, falls onto Talleyrand, sitting across the table with his dress sword at his side.
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