Lot 62 D α

The painting is the prelude to "Brandenburgiana" and shows the earliest event in the cycle. The Hohenzollern Burgrave Frederick IV of Nuremberg played a decisive role in the victory of King Louis the Bavarian over his rival Frederick the Fair at the Battle of Mühldorf in 1322. The Burgrave captured the Habsburg counter-king and handed him over to Ludwig of Bavaria. In Rode's painting, the Wittelsbach sits in an ermine-lined cloak while the standing Hohenzoller hands him the swords of his enemies and points to the captured counter-king, who approaches from the left with a gesture of humility.