The Austrian Adriatic Exhibition – Vienna, 1913 RE574301

⚓ The Austrian Adriatic Exhibition – Vienna, 1913

A Masterwork of Imperial Symbolism and Art Nouveau Power by Kurt Libesny

🎨 Visual Description – Myth, Empire, and Mortality in Motion

The image is arresting: at the heart rides a lone knight in black gothic armour, cradling in one arm a bare-breasted woman of the sea, a wounded siren whose limp body is dotted with red—blood or coral, we cannot say. Her eyes are closed; her arms drape backward like the vanishing of innocence.

The knight, stern and protective, grips her with both strength and grief. His great white shield bears the mythic figure of an angel or saint—possibly Saint Michael, symbol of judgment and conquest. His black warhorse strides against a blazing Adriatic sunset in tones of molten gold and imperial red, beneath a horizon where white sails drift like prayers into the gloaming.

Above the scene, in pre-revolutionary Cyrillic script, the poster proclaims:

Австрийская Адриатическая Выставка
Austrian Adriatic Exhibition

Held in Vienna from May to October, 1913, under the auspices of none other than Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este, the event was designed to promote Austro-Hungarian influence across the Adriatic—Croatia, Dalmatia, Istria—a celebration of sea power, trade, and cultural dominion.

But now, viewed through the lens of hindsight, it is a requiem in poster form.

🖨️ Your Reproduction – A Print of Daring and Depth

This remarkable image is now available as a museum-quality art reproduction, offered for connoisseurs of rare symbolism and bold historical expression:

• 200gsm premium heavyweight paper – richly textured and archival

• Silk semi-gloss finish – to elevate the burnished colours and fine linework

• Humidity & scratch resistant – as enduring as the legacy it portrays

• Made in England, restored with continental fidelity

🕰️ For Whom This Poster Echoes

This is a rare treasure for:

• Collectors of imperial European art and propaganda

• Art Nouveau and Secessionist design enthusiasts

• Historians of WWI, the Balkans, or Austrian imperial culture

• Lovers of visual allegory, symbolic mourning, and political beauty

It’s a statement piece—both an artwork and an omen.

🛡️ FINAL WORD

“This is not merely a poster. It is an elegy dressed in armour, crossing the horizon of history on horseback.”
— David Harrison

👉 Add to cart and preserve this magnificent imperial vision, painted in sunfire and sorrow.
Because some empires don’t whisper when they fall—they sing.