Romanticism Exhibition

Chess with the king

This arabesque pays homage to Friedrich Wilhelm IV and his wife Elisabeth, presenting them as elfin monarchs on a butterfly throne above their initials. A court of elves can be seen at their feet. Arranged around the scene are allegorical and fantastical representations of the four elements, the seasons, different parts of the world, and sundry other elements from fairy tales and other sources. The motifs are connected by vine and plant ornaments. The pictorial composition and the web of motifs are explained in a poem by Maximiliane von Arnim. On 29 May 1843, she and her sister Armgart visited Sanssouci Palace to present the arabesque and the poem to the king.