The present set of plates are engraved with the arms of Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg-Beilstein (1773-1859), known as Klemens von Metternich. Metternich was born the son of an Austrian diplomat, and after studying in Strasbourg and Mainz, joined the diplomatic service, filling ambassadorial roles in Saxony, Prussia, and Napoleonic France. As Foreign Minister for Austria, Metternich brokered a truce with France, which included the marriage of Napoleon and Austrian archduchess marie Louise in 1810. Shortly after, he was involved in signing the Treaty of Fontainebleau, sending Napoleon in to exile, as well as the Congress of Vienna, which divided Napoleon's former territories between the major European powers.