Twelfth Night (print)

[2] Based on the London theatre royals at Covent Garden and Dury Lane, the image features caricatures of many leading European rulers and statesman.

Led by the British the great powers are seen carving up the cake of Europe while excluding the lesser nations.

[4] The British figure is sometimes alternatively described as the Duke of Wellington, although he only reached Vienna in early February to replace his colleague Castlereagh.

In the background are four shadowy figures depicted as beggars pleading for their thrones who represent Ferdinand of Sicily and the monarchs of Saxony, Bavaria, and Würtemberg.

[5] In the theatre boxes overlooking the stage are a number of the other European powers who watch the proceedings including Louis XVIII of France, Marshal Bernadotte of Sweden and Ferdinand VII of Spain.

The Congress Dissolved Before the Cake was Cut Up , an April 1815 follow-up by Cruikshank showing Napoleon disrupting the Congress after his escape from Elba .