HAVE GERMAN WILL TRAVEL . BAYERN Konig Ludwig II von Bayern I King Ludwig of (1845 to 1886)

Ludwig Denkmal / Ludwig statue (1870)

Ludwig II is a sculpture of King Ludwig II of Bavaria by Ludwig II sculptor . Completed in 1870, the piece is a portrait statue rendered in plaster. The statue was modeled and carved in Germany, but it is now held by the in Austin, Texas; a marble version, completed by - - another sculptor, is installed in the Herrenchiemsee Palace in Bavaria.

History

As a young woman, Elisabet Ney had studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in _)VIunic}l, becoming the Academy's 1 first female graduate in 1854.[ ] She next returned to the city in 1867, when she began seeking an opportunity to sculpt a portrait of the King of Bavaria, Lud~g_JI. Some historians have speculated that Ney's move to Munich and her pursuit of Ludwig were related to the contemporary politics of German Unification, and that Ney may even have been acting as an agent of Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (whose portrait Ney had recently completed) to persuade King Ludwig to cooperate in the establishment of the German Empire; others, however, conclude that she was simply returning to a familiar city with a thriving artistic scene and a monarch who 2 6 6 6 was known for his generous patronage of the arts.[ J: 4- 5[3J:3

Ney submitted a pencil sketch of her proposal to the King in September 1868, and Ludwig agreed to the portrait later that fall. Some months passed before the King could be persuaded Statue on display in the Elisabet to sit for Ney; the composition of a preliminary bust began in Ney Museum in Austin, Texas February 1869, though Ney had not completed her design Artist Elisabet Ney before Ludwig suspended their audiences indefinitely. The Year 1870 King is said to have been taken aback by the forwardness of Ney's manners and her study and measurement of his person. Medium Plaster After Ludwig postponed the composition, Ney left to spend Subject Ludwig II of Bavaria some months traveling with her husband in Italy and Egypt. Dimensions 210 cm (82 in) That autumn, she returned to Munich and resumed her work, Location Elisabet Ney with the King again agreeing to sit for her composition. As Museum, Austin, they worked together during this time, the two seem to have Texas grown friendly and held lengthy discussions on both personal