Battle of Solferino - A contemporary ink drawing of French troops attacking the Austrians on the heights of Casa Nova

Unpublished, 1859. No Binding. Very Good. A contemporary ink drawing of the Battle of Solferino. The drawing is labelled on the image as 'Battle of Solferino, June 1859. Attack of the French on the Austrian army on the heights of Casa-Nova'. The dramatic image which has been accomplished by a skilful amateur shows four fallen soldiers - apparently French - in the foreground with a single Austrian soldier taking aim at the oncoming French troops, and behind him the massed ranks of the Austrian infantry and artillery. Behind them is a tower with a standard raised. The massed French infantry are advancing up hill from the left of the picture with an explosion in the centre masking the point at which the two armies are meeting. A single French soldier appears about the fall as he reaches the Austrian lines. The image is drawn in a mixture of brown and black ink with brown for the inscription and background and black for the soldiers. The drawing does not appear to be a book illustration but has a strongly documentary feel as if the work of an eye witness to the battle. The fallen soldiers lying prone in the midst of the attack are a notable detail. The Battle of Solferino was an important step towards the establishment of the modern, unified Italian state and marks the last occasion in world history when all the forces present were led by their monarchs. This drawing which is 16 cm x 14 cm is browned but clear and unfaded. It is in a modern mount and wooden frame. Very Good 1859