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43-407: The museum was founded by King Maximilian II of Bavaria in 1855. It houses a large collection of European artifacts from the late antiquity until the early 20th century with particular strengths in the medieval through early modern periods. The building, erected in the style of historicism by Gabriel von Seidl 1894-1900, is one of the most original and significant museum buildings of its time. It

86-494: A brief and unexpected illness, King Maximilian died at Munich on 10 March 1864. He is buried in the Theatinerkirche there. Maximilian offered Paul Heyse and other writers from North Germany large stipends. Hans Christian Andersen visited "King Max" (as he called him) in his castle Starnberg , and wrote of him as a young, highly amiable man. The King, having read his novels and fairy tales , let Andersen know that he

129-505: A journey on foot through his country, which began in Lindau . However, because of frequent rain, he repeatedly had to be carried physically. In government policy, the King repeatedly requested the advice of his ministers and scholarly experts before making a decision, which led to long delays. In addition, King Maximilian often traveled to Italy and Greece, which also led to long delays. After

172-579: A model for future folklore collectors. Maximilian II responded also to the demands of the people for a united German state by attending the Frankfurt Assembly which intended to create such a state. The progress of the 1848 Revolution, however, gave him pause. The king strenuously opposed the unionist plans of the Frankfurt Parliament , refused to recognize the imperial constitution devised by it and assisted Austria in restoring

215-407: A pulpit rather than an altar. On the function of the original object, Williamson favours a door, Lasko leans towards a pulpit, and Beckwith an antependium, but none are very emphatic in their preference. The style of the figures is described by Peter Lasko as "very heavy, stiff, and massive ... with extremely linear and flat treatment of drapery ... in simple but powerful compositions". Following

258-591: A relief of the West Roman imperial court with one of the oldest representations of the Ascension among the most famous works in the ivory collection. Key works of ivory art, important stained glass windows, and not least excellent testimonies of textile are found in the Gothic department. On display are also historic Gothic chamber ensembles such as the magnificently painted Zunftstube of Augsburg weavers, one of

301-465: A royal cradle, his choice would have been to become a professor. As crown prince, in the chateau of Hohenschwangau near Füssen , which he had rebuilt, he gathered about him an intimate society of artists and men of learning and devoted his time to scientific and historical study. The Wittelsbacher Palais was built for Maximilian as a Crown Prince Palace in Munich but was completed only when he ascended

344-536: A set of 16 surviving ivory panels illustrating episodes of Christ's life. They were commissioned by Emperor Otto I , probably to mark the dedication of Magdeburg Cathedral , and the raising of the Magdeburg see to an archbishopric in 968. The panels were initially part of an unknown object in the cathedral that has been variously conjectured to be an antependium or altar front, a throne, door, pulpit, or an ambon ; traditionally this conjectural object, and therefore

387-843: A tour through more than forty rooms from the hall for late antiquity and Romanesque art via the rooms for Gothic , Renaissance , Baroque and Rococo art to the exhibits of Neoclassicism and Art Nouveau . The western side wing of the museum houses The Bollert Collection with late medieval sculptures. The museum is especially noted for its collections of carved ivory, goldsmith works, textiles, glass painting, tapestries and shrines. The displayed sculptures were created by noted sculptors including Erasmus Grasser , Tilman Riemenschneider , Hans Multscher , Hans Leinberger , Adam Krafft , Giovanni Bologna , Hubert Gerhard , Adriaen de Vries , Massimiliano Soldani Benzi , Johann Baptist Straub , Ferdinand Tietz  [ de ] , Ignaz Günther , Matthias Steinl , and Ludwig Schwanthaler . The museum

430-464: Is famous for its collections of courtly culture, musical instruments, furniture, oil paintings, sketches, clocks, stoneware, majolica, miniatures, porcelain and faience, and its statues. It has probably the world's best collection of the Nymphenburg porcelain figures of Franz Anton Bustelli (1723–63). The Romanesque period is represented by stone sculptures from the monastery of Wessobrunn and

473-669: Is represented by medals, miniatures, paintings and full plastic sculptures. Many items come from the art chamber of the Wittelsbach family. From the possession of the Wittelsbach the Bavarian National Museum also presents unique Baroque objects from all areas of craft and artistic production, such as ostentatious furniture, jewelry, weapons, musical instruments, watches, glasses, miniatures, ivories and bronzes. Of importance are especially Florentine bronzes from

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516-617: Is situated in the Prinzregentenstraße , one of the city's four royal avenues. The house replaced an older building which houses today the Museum Five Continents . Already in 1905/06, the museum was expanded to the north by a few rooms and a workshop wing. German Bestelmeyer added a wing at the southeast corner in 1937. The main building of the Bavarian National Museum includes on three floors exhibition rooms with in total about 13,000 square meters. The core of

559-560: The Life of Christ are absent, while some surviving subjects are rather rare. Lasko suggests that fewer than half the original group survive, and mentions the Carolingian cycle of 62 wall paintings at Saint John Abbey, Müstair , which includes seven of the fifteen narrative scenes in the ivories. The strong emphasis among the surviving plaques on episodes from the gospel accounts of Christ's period of ministry might suggest that they decorated

602-588: The Lorraine area, possibly in Metz . The group of plaques is widely considered a key example of Ottonian art , exemplifying in sculpture the Ottonian style that survives more often in manuscript illustrations. The plaques all measure nearly 13 cm high and 12 cm wide. They are in the unusual form of framed scenes combining relief figures with an openwork background. The backgrounds have, depending on

645-538: The federal diet and in carrying out the federal execution in Hesse-Kassel and Holstein . In the aftermath of the failure of the Frankfurt Assembly , Prussia and Austria continued to debate which monarchy had the inherent right to rule Germany. The dispute between Austria and the Electoral Prince of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) was used by Austria and its allies, including Bavaria, to promote

688-518: The treasure binding of the 10th-century Codex Wittekindeus , while all the other plaques are now displayed as stand-alone objects. Though scholars are agreed the plaques come from the same workshop, the hands of different artists can be detected; for example the groups of plaques in Liverpool and Paris are by different hands. A further plaque, not from the Magdeburg set but thought to be from

731-643: The Bavarian kingdom's alliance with Austria against Prussia. In his German policy, Maximilian was guided by the desire to maintain the union of the princes. During the cold warfare between Austria and Prussia, King Maximilian and his ministers favoured the former, which was a policy enthusiastically supported by the Catholics and the Protestants of the Bavarian Kingdom. Simultaneously, however,

774-534: The Bavarian peasantry. That was done to promote a separate national identity against Prussian-inspired Pan-Germanism. The King was assisted in that by his Personal Private Secretary, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth . A native of the Oberpfalz region of the Bavarian Kingdom, Schonwerth's work collecting the folklore and traditions of his native district won him the admiration of the Brothers Grimm and made him

817-520: The King and his Ministers also attempted to preserve Bavaria's independence by trying to play both powers against each other. That policy continued under his son, King Ludwig II. In 1863, however, the King supported the project of reform proposed by Austria at the Frankfurt Fürstentag  [ de ] . Attempts by Austria to reorganise the loose and entirely-decentralised German Confederation were opposed by Prussia and therefore

860-535: The National Museum, in particular, by the 1960 launched club "Friends of the Bavarian National Museum". In 2012, The Bavarian National Museum restituted a bronze statue to the heirs of a Jewish collector named August L. Meyer whose art collection was seized by Nazis before he was murdered in the Holocaust . The museum had acquired the bronze in 1937. Efforts have been made to return some silver objects to

903-766: The architect Eduard Riedel to redesign Berg Castle in neo-gothic style with several towers and a crenellate. Maximilian II was the principal of the Maximilianstrasse and the Bavarian National Museum in Munich. Compared to his father, Maximilian preferred a new architectural style with strong reference to the Gothic Revival architecture which would combine the best features of historical models combined with then modern building technology. The neo-gothic Royal Mansion in Regensburg

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946-422: The collection dates from the art collection of the Wittelsbach family. This gives the National Museum an importance far beyond the local area. Diversity and breadth of the collections, however, were particularly motivated by the new additions to the subsequent period. To date, the inventory is updated continuously not only through acquisitions, but also by significant foundations and bequests. Support experienced by

989-547: The collection of the Medici and pastel paintings from Venice including works of Rosalba Carriera . The Bavarian National Museum has the most important collection of the Bavarian Rococo sculpture. A rich collection of architectural models and designs for frescoes and altarpieces documents the new buildings and conversions of churches in the competition of the various monasteries and convents. A unique court ensembles are

1032-1327: The dismantling of the object they were created for, the Magdeburg Ivories were then reused in reliquaries and book covers and are now dispersed to a total of nine museums. The Berlin State Library has four plaques, the World Museum in Liverpool and Bavarian National Museum in Munich have three each. the Louvre in Paris has two, and there are single plaques in the Musée Antoine Vivenel in Compiègne , Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt , British Museum in London, and Metropolitan Museum in New York . The four plaques in Berlin are inserted in

1075-586: The estate of Maximilian's father King Ludwig I are magnificent presents of Napoleon Bonaparte which arrived at the Museum, a result of the strong connection between France and Bavaria. Of special importance is for example a splendid table with precious wood with a rich porcelain decor, a gift Napoleon gave in 1806 to the Crown Prince Ludwig. The Art Nouveau Department shows, for example, the floral art direction, an expression of Art Nouveau inspired by

1118-636: The fifteenth through early nineteenth centuries, dramatically and imaginatively displayed. Many of the scenes display wonderful craftsmanship and detailed workmanship, some are worked in precious materials, others show exotic elements, like a Flight into Egypt intended to astonish 18th century viewers with the monkeys, crocodiles and hippopotamuses Mary and Joseph encounter on the Nile. Maximilian II of Bavaria Maximilian II (28 November 1811 – 10 March 1864) reigned as King of Bavaria between 1848 and 1864. Unlike his father, King Ludwig I , "King Max"

1161-533: The finest Gothic cabinets at all. The Bavarian National Museum displays one of the largest and most important collections of late medieval sculpture from the German-speaking countries. Special attractions are the great knight's hall with the ceremonial armor of the 15th and 16th Century and the true to scale wooden Renaissance models of the Bavarian ducal capitals. The portrait art of the Renaissance

1204-698: The heirs of other Holocaust victims as well. The National Museum has several branch museums throughout Bavaria. A new building behind the museum houses as addition the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection ( Archäologische Staatssammlung ) from the first settlement in the Paleolithic Ages through the Celtic civilization and the Roman period right up to the early Middle Ages. The art collection displays artworks in

1247-575: The isolation of Prussia in German political affairs. That diplomatic insult almost led to war when Austria, Bavaria and other allies moved troops through Bavaria towards Hesse-Kassel in 1850. However, the Prussian Army backed down and accepted the principle of dual leadership. The event was known as the Punctation of Olmütz but also as the "Humiliation of Olmütz" by Prussia. The event solidified

1290-591: The ivories as a group, has been called the Magdeburg Antependium . This object is believed to have been dismantled or destroyed in the 1000s, perhaps after a fire in 1049. They are often assumed to have been made in Milan, then an important political and artistic center of the Holy Roman Empire ; art historian Peter Lasko , however, has argued on stylistic grounds for artists trained in

1333-583: The marble lions from Reichenhall . Important pieces of Romanesque art include wooden figures of crucifixion groups from Bamberg, Schongau and Kaufbeuren, and several works of metal and ivory. The Kasten der Heiligen Kunigunde (jewelry box of Holy Cunegonde), is a unique masterpiece made in the year 1000 in Scandinavia of wood, bronze and narwhal tusk. Reliefs from the Magdeburg Ivories , plaques probably from an antependium of Emperor Otto I and

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1376-769: The museum's treasures are displayed in antique rooms moved to the museum. For example, the armor is in one of several rooms featuring gothic ribbed vaulting form medieval buildings, magnificent renaissance furnishings are displayed in rooms roofed with decorative wood-beamed and mullioned ceilings form the 14th and 15th centuries, and the baroque objects in rooms with 16th century wood paneling and decorative ceilings. The folklore collection houses for example traditional Bavarian furnitures, rural pottery, crockery and religious folklore including an outstanding collection of Neapolitan , Sicilian , Tyrolian and Bavarian wood carvings including street scenes and Nativity Scenes . The museum holds an extensive collection of Nativity scene from

1419-680: The other German princes did not act on the reform proposals. The failure of those plans and the attitude of the Austrian Court towards the Confederation and the Schleswig-Holstein Question disillusioned King Maximilian. The last days of his reign were spent attempting to deal with the new situation created by the outbreak of the war with Denmark. In the summers of 1849 and 1855, King Maximilian travelled his kingdom. Between 24 June and 27 July 1858, he undertook

1462-595: The plants and animals, first developed in France. The collection of fine glass and porcelain and ceramics includes many objects of high artistic and technical quality of the most important centers of this epoch in Europe and the United States. The museum displays a major collection of Art Nouveau objects, including the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany , René Lalique , Émile Gallé and several Bavarian artists. Many of

1505-504: The scene depicted, foliage, checkerboard or cross patterns, or, as in the Visitation , an architectural setting behind the figures. In some scenes the number of figures leave no space for decoration of the background. The gaps in the openwork probably revealed a gold or gilded backing behind. Two further panels are known from 16th-century drawings, and the original number was probably significantly larger, as many common subjects from

1548-479: The silverware of the Prince-Bishop of Hildesheim and the service and figurative centrepieces of Nymphenburg and Meissen porcelain manufacturers. Rare furnitures testify to the high rank of the most famous German cabinetmaker manufactories of the 18th Century. The collection of Neo-classical art of the 19th Century is also strongly influenced by works that once belonged to the Wittelsbach family. Thus, from

1591-441: The so-called " Ultramontanes ". In his attempts to transform Bavaria into a centre of culture, education, and the arts, he enraged conservative Catholics and Protestants by inviting a number of celebrated men of learning (such as Geibel , Liebig , Heyse and Sybel ) to Munich , regardless of their religious views. Devoted to his family and his people, the King also financed studies of the art, costumes, dialects and customs of

1634-608: The throne. When the abdication of Ludwig I (20 March 1848) called him suddenly to the throne, his choice of ministers promised a liberal regime. In 1849 an uprising in the Bavarian Palatinate was broken down with the support of the Prussian Army . Though from 1850 onwards his government tended in the direction of absolute monarchy , King Maximilian steered a moderate course between the extremes of classical liberalism , Prussian-inspired Pan-Germanism, and

1677-518: Was born in Munich and was the eldest son of the Crown Prince of Bavaria (later King Ludwig I) and his wife Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen . After studying at Göttingen and Berlin and travelling in Germany, Italy and Greece, he was introduced by his father into the council of state (1836). From the first, he showed a studious disposition and declared on one occasion that had he not been born in

1720-720: Was built for Maximilian 1854–1856, the Royal Mansion in Berchtesgaden and the Royal Villa on Rose Island already in 1853. The hiking path in Upper Bavaria called Maximiliansweg is named after him, as he made a longer hike in the Bavaria alps in the summer of 1858. The Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art was first established on 28 November 1853 by King Maximilian II. While king, Maximilian

1763-548: Was deeply impressed by The Improvisatore , En Digters Bazar , The Little Mermaid and Paradisets Have . During the visit Andersen also read The Ugly Duckling . Later Andersen visited the King at the Schloss Hohenschwangau . Next to Hohenschwangau Castle also the Hambach Castle was reconstructed from 1844 for Crown Prince Maximilian by August von Voit . In 1849 King Maximilian II instructed

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1806-526: Was hampered by constant ill health which often compelled him to travel abroad and, when at home, to live much of the time in the countryside. The relationship with his father, who had persisted in his architectural projects even after his abdication, was mostly tense. By his wife, Marie Friederike Franziska Hedwig , daughter of Prince William of Prussia , who he married in 1842, he had two sons: Both of his sons became king, were declared insane, and deposed. Magdeburg Ivories The Magdeburg Ivories are

1849-497: Was very popular and took a greater interest in the business of Government than in personal extravagance. Ascending the throne during the German Revolution of 1848 , King Maximilian restored stability in his kingdom. The rest of his reign was characterized by attempts to maintain Bavarian independence during the wars of German Unification and to transform his capital city of Munich into a cultural and educational city. He

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