Rudolph, the anti-kaiser of henry iv, loses his arm in combat. Engraving by bernhard rode, 1781. "rudolph, duke of swabia, was elected german king in place of henry iv; but when he was mortally wounded in a battle against henry and his right hand was chopped off, the sight of it prompted him to say shortly before his demise to the assembled bishops, 'that is the hand with which i swore fealty to my lord henry. You who have placed me on his throne should now ponder whether in doing so you led me on the right path. ' " (catalog of the academy exhibition of 1788, 1, in die kataloge der berliner akademie-ausstellungen 1786-1850, ed. H. Börsch-supan, bd. 1, berlin 1971. ). Date: artwork: 1781; file: 2009.01.17.
Loading...
