„The heaven-sent heir to the throne of Bavaria“

A unique testimony of Bavarian history has been preserved with this miniature. It was created on the occasion of the long-awaited birth of the Bavarian hereditary prince and later King Ludwig II in 1845. The porcelain and interior painter Franz Xaver Nachtmann (1799-1846) staged the newborn Ludwig as a gift from heaven placed in the royal cradle by angels. The birth of the Wittelsbach heir to the throne is stylised as an event of salvation history using religiously influenced pictorial motifs and their integration into a pictorial space rich in symbolism.

In the midst of Gothic chapel architecture, the sleeping child, nestled in a wreath of flowers, is brought into the world by two hovering angels with flowing robes. Another angel is kneeling next to the cradle, his gaze fixed expectantly on the child. His blue and white robe identifies him as the guardian angel of Bavaria. With his left hand he has already folded back the green quilt symbolising hope, while with his right he points to the cradle with the Bavarian royal insignia. Next to the group of figures there is a small family altar with a prayer desk. The accompanying devotional picture with a depiction of Saint Ludwig and Saint Theresa of Avila cites a fresco that was located in the Court Church of All Saints (Allerheiligen-Hofkirche) at the Munich Residence (Residenz München) back then. It can therefore be assumed that Ludwig’s grandfather, Ludwig I (1786-1868), commissioned this allegorical dedication painting, which expresses the joy and hope associated with the birth of the child and the future of the Bavarian royal family.

Melissa Melchart