Biography
Ludwig von Schwanthaler (Munich 1802 - 1848 ebd.)
Ludwig von Schwanthaler - Table decorations and colossal sculptures
Ludwig von Schwanthaler was born in 1802 into a well-known family of sculptors. From 1819-22 he studied painting and then sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. After his father's death he joined the workshop continued by his uncle Franz Anton, but soon he also took over its management. As a member of the group around Leo von Klenze, he helped to put King Ludwig I's urban planning visions into practice. The king sent his architects to Rome several times to further their education and to be inspired by antiquity. Schwanthaler was therefore in the "Eternal City" in 1826-27 and 1832-34. In 1835 he was appointed professor of sculpture at the Academy in Munich. One of his most famous works is the Bavaria, Munich's landmark. Since 1837 he was busy designing the colossal figure in front of the Ruhmeshalle on the Thesesienhöhe. Unfortunately, Schwanthaler did not live to see the unveiling of the accessible monument in 1850. He died of gout in 1848.
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