(Schwäbisch Hall 1836–1916 Munich)
Karl Freiherr von Ditfurth fighting the Tyroleans in front of the Hospital Church in Innsbruck, signed L. Braun München, oil on canvas, 65 x 85 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private Collection Vienna.

The important German history painter Louis Braun concentrated on the depiction of military scenes and created some monumental paintings more than 100 metres long. He accompanied troops to battle several times—for example in 1870/71 during the Franco-Prussian War—to get a real picture of the events.The confrontation shown on this lot took place in Innsbruck in April 1809. Tyrol had been conquered by French troops three years earlier and had since been under the rule of Bavaria, which was allied with France. The Tyrolean people‘s uprising, led by Andreas Hofer, freed the province from occupation, at least for a few months, before Napoleonic troops defeated Tyrol again at the end of 1809.The Bavarian Colonel depicted here, Karl Freiherr von Ditfurth, took command in the battle for Innsbruck on 12 April 1809 and formed a closed square with his troops. After being wounded several times on his horse, he succumbed to his injuries. His troops finally surrendered to the Tyrolean freedom fighters. The baroque Innsbruck hospital church on Maria-Theresien-Strasse, which can be seen in the picture, was at the centre of the fighting. The shots fired by the Tyrolean riflemen at the Bavarian soldiers from the church windows are clearly visible.