An allegory [graphic]

"Nicholas I, in uniform with plumed cocked hat, rides (right to left) a gigantic Russian eagle, his sword raised to slash. The eagle holds in one of its beaks a round wicker coop which it drops over a turkey crouching on a grassy slope (left). From each predatory beak a cloud issues, inscribed WAR in large elaborate letters. The heraldic bird is very much alive, one claw clutching a sceptre, the other an orb. The Tsar stands in his stirrups; his saddle is superimposed on the shield on the bird's breast on which is a mounted knight in armour with visor down and sword raised. To the shield are appended eagles and other emblems. Far below (right) is a snow-covered plain where tiny Cossacks gallop with levelled spears, chasing Turks, The sky is filled with flame and smoke from blazing buildings. On the left from among the smoke emerges the dark silhouette of a profile bust of Napoleon; he says: Europe look well to this beware of the Kelmuc [sic]."--British Museum online catalogue