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Lot Essay
On 17 October 1797, representatives of France and Austria signed a peace settlement which brought the Italian Campaign to a final close. General Napoleon Bonaparte, representing the French Republic and Count Ludwig von Cobenzl, representing the Austrian Empire, signed the Treaty of Campo Formio, a breakthrough after five months of peace negotiations.
The treaty called for Austria to cede the Austrian Netherlands (present day Belgium) to France and to recognize the newly created Ligurian (formerly Republic of Genoa) and Cisalpine Republics as independent states. It also called for Austria to accept French possession of the Ionian Islands including Corfu and to cede Lombardy to the Cisalpine Republic. In return Austria received the Italian lands east of the Adige River which included Venice, Friuli, Istria, and Dalmatia.
The present lot is a striking example of Austrian control over Venice as some of the figures visible in the foreground are dressed in Austrian uniforms.
The treaty called for Austria to cede the Austrian Netherlands (present day Belgium) to France and to recognize the newly created Ligurian (formerly Republic of Genoa) and Cisalpine Republics as independent states. It also called for Austria to accept French possession of the Ionian Islands including Corfu and to cede Lombardy to the Cisalpine Republic. In return Austria received the Italian lands east of the Adige River which included Venice, Friuli, Istria, and Dalmatia.
The present lot is a striking example of Austrian control over Venice as some of the figures visible in the foreground are dressed in Austrian uniforms.