Allegory of the First Partition of Poland

Also called The Troelfth Cake, this is an allegory of the 1st partition of Poland. The picture shows the rulers of the three countries (Catherine II of Russia on the left, Frederick II of Prussia and Emperor Joseph II of Habsburg on the right) dividing up parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between themselves.To the right of Catherine II is Stanislas Augustus Poniatowski, the last king of POland. The angel above represents the triumph of the sovereigns, who have added to their territory, wilst avoiding conflict. The drawing gained notoriety in contemporary Europe, and was even banned in several European countries.