War Court and Knee Pillow, Austria's Destiny

"Let others wage war; you, happy Austria, marry!" What Mars could give you, Venus could also bestow. The smoke of the Napoleonic Wars has dissipated, and the once-peace-bringing Vienna System now lies in tatters. Beneath the seemingly undisturbed surface of tranquility, undercurrents swirl in the vortex of the era—a calm before the storm. The air is thick with the mist of evaporating sweat, and choking black smoke makes it hard to breathe. At an elegant dining table, a group of soldiers and potbellied men in suits jostle and push, feasting gluttonously on the banquet called the world. Van Gogh's self-portrait hangs on the wall, while the waltzes of the Strauss father and son linger in the ...