Ch. Weigel (after C. Luyken): Emperor Joseph I venerating the Holy Sacrament, copperplate engraving, 1701

On an excursion in the surroundings of Vienna the later emperor Joseph I came upon a priest carrying the Holy Sacrament and gave up his carriage to him. In this he was following the example of his ancestor Rudolf I, as indicated in the oval image held aloft by angels. Given the monarch’s otherwise very liberal attitudes in religious matters and his less than virtuous lifestyle, this action was more likely to have been taken for reasons of state than out of any personal inclination.