State Chariot

This extraordinarily elegant carriage was used on state occasions by Empress Elisabeth and after her death by other members of the imperial family. The lavishly sculptured Undercarriage with perch and double springs emphasises the especially high ceremonial rank of the vehicle, as do the sumptuous fittings with fives windows, four magnificently decorated lanterns, the roof gallery and gold-plated ornamental strips on the upper coach box and the floor thresholds. (Cesare Sala, Milan) © Monica Kurzel-Runtscheiner: Crane Neck and Gold Crepine. Courtly Splendour and Contemporary art – a confrontation, Exhibition Catalogue, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna 2004