Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, from Les Génies de la Mort

Description

After the creation of the German Empire, Wilhelm I was named kaiser (emperor) of the unified German state. He is thus depicted as the aristocratic twin to his prime minister, Otto von Bismarck. Edmond Guilliaume ironically gave Wilhelm a crown of leaves like an ancient hero, but that association is superseded by the rest of his face and body. Underneath his confident eyes lies a decaying skull, and his body is replaced by the rapacious, blood-sucking form of a bat. Combined with the nighttime destruction of the church in the distance, Wilhelm represents the very essence of the coldhearted, cold-blooded enemy.

Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, from Les Génies de la Mort

Edmond Guilliaume

1870

Accession Number

119385

Medium

Color lithograph on ivory wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 57.8 × 46 cm (22 13/16 × 18 1/8 in.); Sheet: 72.7 × 51.6 cm (28 5/8 × 20 3/8 in.)

Classification

lithograph

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Robert Chase Endowment