Rudolph Friedrich Karl Suhrlandt

Son of the court painter Johann Heinrich Suhrlandt, Rudolph Friedrich Karl Suhrlandt began his training with his father before entering the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden. Obedient to the writings of Winckelmann, the young artist trained by copying masterpieces by the old masters in the Gemäldegalerie and sent his copies to the Grand Duke Frederick Frances. Impressed by his talent, the Grand Duke allowed Suhrlandt to come to Vienna to pursue his studies at the Academy. The artist stayed there until 1808, when he went to stay in Rome, where he became a member of the Guild of St Luke. He was appointed court painter to Frederic Frances in about 1810.

This composition reflects the artist’s various inspirations: the wounded and dead soldiers in the lower part of the composition recall the sculptural bodies of the sixteenth century Mannerist works that Suhrlandt would have seen during his years of training at the Gemäldegalerie. The precision of the drawing, however, is typical of the artist’s great aptitude, which twice won him the drawing prize at the Dresden Academy.

Dated 1813, the painting shows Napoleon visiting the battlefield after the Battle of Eylau, on 7 and 8 February 1807. Although he lost a great many men, Napoleon emerged victorious from the battle, forcing Frederick Frances to flee his duchy a few months later. When Suhrlandt made this painting, the Russian retreat had sounded the withdrawal of Napoleon’s troops, Frederick Frances had become the first German prince of the Rhine Confederation and he was planning a war with France. There is no doubt that Surhrlandt was here seeking to denounce the violence of battles led by the French Emperor, giving legitimacy to the Prussian Prince’s intentions.