Tinsel print, hand-painted, circa early 19th century

This print depicts 'Mr Osbaldiston as Hoffer,' in Hoffer, the Tell of the Tyrol, a Grand Historical Opera by Sir H. R. Bishop inspired by Rossini's Guillaume Tell. 

Andreas Hoffer (1767-1810) was an Austrian innkeeper and horse trader who became a celebrated folk hero for his role in leading the Tyrolean rebellion of 1809 against the Napoleonic and Bavarian invasion. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Hoffer's rebels managed to drive the Napoleonic army out of Tyrol using the snowy landscape to their advantage. Their victory was short-lived and in 1810 Hofer was executed and the insurrection was quelled. Howerer Hoffer has never been forgotten: today, the official anthem of the Austrian state of Tyrol is the “Andreas Hoffer Song.” 

Framed.
38 x 47 cm

Fabric swatch: Zebra velvet in gold plum by Neisha Crosland for Schumacher