Page:Historical paintings of the Slavic nations by Alfons Mucha (1921).pdf/9



, he next set out for Vienna, where he worked for some months on the decorations for the new Ring Theatre, and finally drifted, penniless, to Mikulov. Here he remained a year or more, executing portrait sketches of the townsfolk at five florins each; and here also he was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Count Khuen Belasy, of Grusbach, who became his patron and after a year’s sojourn at his castle of Gandegg, enabled the artist to pursue his studies in Munich and Paris.

In order to maintain the requisite social prestige, the young painter felt constrained to stop at The Lion, Mikulov’s leading hostelry. Being both witty and musical, he was invited about considerably, despite the fact that his wardrobe was perilously shabby. At one period his single pair of trousers was in such precarious condition that his only expedient was to wear his topcoat throughout the evening, on the plea of suffering from chronic chills. After a certain number of appearances under these conditions, he was surprised one