Studie voor spotprent op Bismarck en de paus, 1878 1878

Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans's "Studie voor spotprent op Bismarck en de paus" (1878) is a study for a satirical cartoon depicting a chess game between German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and Pope Pius IX. The drawing, likely a preliminary sketch for a larger work, features the two figures seated opposite each other, with a chessboard between them. The image uses a medieval setting to comment on the power struggle between church and state, a common theme in political cartoons of the era. The details of the chessboard and the figures' attire suggest a strong connection to the historical past, further emphasizing the cartoon's critical message.