State Coach, so-called "Imperial Carriage"

The most elegant carriage of the Vienna Court, a "grand carosse", is thought to have been built around 173/40 for Emperor Karl VI and later converted several times. The paintings on the coach panels show allegories of the virtues of the ruler which are thought to refer to Karls's daughter, Empress Maria Theresia. The "Imperial Carriage" was an insignia representing the power of the dynasty and was only used at the most important events. Firstly it was drawn by six white horses from the Kladrub imperial stud farm and from the early 19th century with eight. It was last used on 30 December 1916 in Budapest at the Hungarian coronation of Kaiser Karl I.
© Monica Kurzel-Runtscheiner: Crane Neck and Gold Crepine. Courtly Splendour and Contemporary art – a confrontation, Exhibition Catalogue, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna 2004