Blücher was a noted military commander who had played a key role in the 1813-14 defeat of
Napoleon's
French Empire by a
coalition of Allies including
Britain,
Prussia,
Russia and
Austria, culminating in the
capture of Paris in April 1814. It was painted while Blücher was in London for the
Allied sovereigns' visit to England, victory celebrations attended by the leaders of the allied nations including Blücher's monarch
Frederick William III. Blücher was popular with the British public during his visit and in the euphoria that followed the victory he was frequently mobbed in the streets of the city. The following year he gained further success when he joined forces with the
Duke of Wellington in the
Waterloo Campaign to inflict the final defeat of Napoleon, who had escaped from
Elba. The work was commissioned by the
Prince Regent for four hundred
guineas. Blücher is shown against a warlike background in his
field marshal's uniform, wearing a
miniature of the Regent, the Prussian
Iron Cross and
Order of the Black Eagle, the Austrian
Order of Maria Theresa and the Russian
Cross of St. George, decorations of the four major allies who defeated Napoleon. In the background a
Uhlan mounts his horse. It was exhibited at the
Royal Academy exhibition in 1815 and was possibly intended for
Carlton House, the Regent's London residence. It remained in Lawrence's studio for some years before being hung in the newly-completed
Waterloo Chamber at
Windsor Castle where it remains today as part of the
Royal Collection. The chamber features many other European leaders painted by Lawrence, many of them at the 1818
Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. An 1814 portrait of the Russian general
Matvei Platov serves almost as a rough companion piece to the artist's depiction of Blücher, featuring a similar pose. The composition of both seem influenced by
Joshua Reynolds' earlier works, particularly his depiction of the
Marquess of Granby. ==See also==