The Declaration of Victory After the Battle of Leipzig, 1813

Johann Peter Krafft's The Declaration of Victory After the Battle of Leipzig of 1839 commemorates the most decisive engagement of the 1813 autumn campaign: the Battle of Nations at Leipzig in October 1813, which effectively ended Napoleon's power in Germany. Krafft was commissioned to produce a series of large paintings documenting Austria's participation in the Napoleonic Wars, of which this is one of the grandest. The moment depicted — the announcement of victory to the assembled forces — gave Krafft the opportunity to produce an image of collective triumph rather than individual heroism. The Deutsches Historisches Museum's picture stands as a key work of Austrian and German military painting, linking public celebration of national sacrifice to the tradition of great history painting that Krafft sought to serve throughout his career.

Krafft organizes the declaration scene with the triumphant announcement at center, officers and troops arranged in a broad semicircle whose varied reactions dramatize the moment. Horses are painted with his characteristic precision. The palette balances the warm ochres of military uniform with the cool blue sky of an October day. Crowd management across the large format is confident.