Alexander von KOTZEBUE (Königsberg 1815 - Munich 1889) The Battle of Novi, August 15, 1799 Paper (?) mounted on canvas 30.5 x 47 cm Inscribed on the reverse of the frame and stretcher "Eug. Lami et Eugène Lamy". Inscription on label on reverse of Raffet frame (Accidents) On August 15, 1799, the Battle of Novi pitted the Austro-Russian army against the French. This battle marked the end of the first Italian campaign. We recognize Russian infantrymen seen from behind, and in the foreground we can identify a French dragon wearing white pants, a green jacket with a red lapel and a plumed helmet, as well as the ruins of the town of Novi, north of Genoa in Liguria, Italy (from left to right): the church of San Niccolo, the church of San Andrea in colegiata, the collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the church of San Pietro, and the tower of the castle of Novi. Our painting is said to be a sketch of a large-format painting of the same subject by Alexander Kotzebue, painted between 1852 and 1855 and now in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.