Adolph Menzel - Friedrich der Große in Lissa: Bonsoir, Messieurs! - 1858

 

Already in 1840, Menzel illustrated Franz Kugler's 'History of Frederick the Great'. The present scene refers to a legend handed down by Kugler, which Menzel created as a commissioned work on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Leuthen in the midst of the Seven Years' War. After that battle, Frederick the Great is said to have been searching for accommodation with his confidants and to have entered the castle in Lissa (Leśnica/Poland), which was occupied by Austrian officers. When he encountered the enemy troops in the castle courtyard and boldly asked for a night's lodging with the words 'Bonsoir, Messieurs!', he was granted entrance with great respect. According to the legend, this gave the Prussian king enough time to summon his remaining soldiers and take the city from the rear. 

At the center of the composition, which Menzel has relocated to a staircase, the resolute Frederick the Great and a terrified Austrian officer stand directly opposite each other - both illuminated only by the candlelight of a lantern. However, the dynamic depiction of the numerous soldiers storming down takes the focus away from the pair again and gives the scene a destabilizing and ecstatic note.

Source: Hamburger Kunsthalle