Ludwig I Koenig von Bayern, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Herzog von Bayern, Franken und in Schwaben

Title

Ludwig I Koenig von Bayern, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein, Herzog von Bayern, Franken und in Schwaben

Depiction of King Ludwig I on his throne. Surrounded by decorative picture frames with the coats of arms of Bavaria and his duchies. Above, on a cushion, the crown, a sword, and a scepter. The popular portrait of Ludwig I (1786–1868) served as an official portrait. It was widespread throughout the country and aimed to promote a loyal royal sentiment. The painting, a half-length portrait, shows King Ludwig I seated in uniform with a written document in his left hand. To the left of King Ludwig, there is a table with an inkpot, several sheets of paper, and a quill. After the original painting by Gottlieb Bodmer (1804-1837).

ca. 1850

Artist

Hanfstaengl (1804-1877)

Franz Seraph Hanfstaengl (1804- 1877) Munich was a German painter, lithographer and photographer. Franz Hanfstaengl came from a long-established farming family from Baiernrain near Tölz and in 1816, on the recommendation of the village school teacher, joined the drawing class at the holiday school run by Hermann Josef Mitterer in Munich. He was trained in lithography, had contact with Alois Senefelder and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 1819-25. He set up his own lithographic studio, which he ran until 1868 and to which he added an art print shop in 1853. In 1835-52, Hanfstaengl produced around 200 lithographic reproductions of masterpieces from the Dresden Picture Gallery and published them in a portfolio. The establishment he founded in 1833 continued to operate as an art publishing house under his name after his death until 1980. This business was professionalized from 1868 by Franz Hanfstaengl's son Edgar, who worked commercially and overseas. The writer Thomas Mann ironized his mass reproduction of art in his 1902 novella Gladius Dei by describing him and his “reproduction industry” as the “Blüthenzweig art dealership”. Hanfstaengl's grave is located in the Old Southern Cemetery in Munich.