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In the early hours of the morning, King Ludwig II was notified that the Maestro Bertel Thorvaldsen had arrived, as he had just returned from Rome at his Highness’s invitation. Descending the winding stone staircase into the Grand Hall of the palace, the King at once noticed the familiar figure of the world-renowned sculptor. “Dearest of friends!” - Ludwig embraced tightly the stately and handsome gentleman with the dignified halo of thin grey hair. “How it pleases me, that a master such as yourself could find the time to grace our Munich with your presence! Surely I understand how demanding the curriculum at the Roman School of Sculpture can be - you busy fellow! Let us go, breakfast should already be served!”
In the hours following a sumptuous breakfast the two found themselves strolling through the sunny day in the Royal Park. “My dear Bertel!” began Ludwig, “Our beautiful Bavaria will always be in the debt of your talents - I refer, of course, to the magnificent statue of Adonis you made, which forever remains one of the dearest gem treasures our glorious country has to offer. It has always fascinated me endlessly to see how you are able to reveal the purest beauty out of the dullest of marble blocks - and only with a meager hammer and chisel! It is as you have once said to me: ‘To take a mass of marble and remove all of the excess!’” With a small laugh, the sculptor smiled and bowed graciously to his royal host, thinking to himself, “Ludwig must be leading up to something. Firstly, it was not I that said those words, but the Great Michelangelo himself, and second, since the King himself invited me here, then surely he must be preparing an offer of some kind. Whatever he has in mind must be an interesting project, more so the payout would surely be grand!”
The aged and experienced sculptor loved the wholesome Bavarian guldens and King Ludwig never spared any expense when it came to fine art for his beloved Germany. The maestro had already begun tallying in his head the cumulative expenses of a renovation of his School of Sculpture in Rome, and how he may be able to exact a sum from the Papal Financial Reserve - in all, there should be enough for a whole new building, and more workshops, and furnaces!" As the daydreams whirled in Bertel’s head, he had not noticed that Ludwig had long begun on the subject already, holding him under the arm, saying, “…and then Maximilian stood in his stirrups and waved his kingly hand as legions of knights led by the fearless Johan Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, broke through and encircled the army of Frederick, King of Bohemia, Count Palatine of the Rhine at the historical Battle of White Mountain… that laughable Winter King, they called him! And he brought peace and calm upon the entire Rhenish Palatinate under the divine right of Maximilian and the entire Holy Roman Catholic Church…”
“…forgive me, Your Highness, do you speak of your father Maximilian? Or, do I misunderstand…” timidly interrupted the elderly artisan. Ludwig furrowed his eyebrows and replied cheerfully, “Of course not, my friend! I refer of course to our glorious ancestor Maximilian the Elector of Bavaria, Duke and Warrior, whose wisdom and heroism helped to unite our Bavarian lands in the old days of the Thirty Years War! How could it be that in my beloved Munich there yet stands no monument to such a hero of Germany? I am beyond ready to pay an immense weight in gold for the bronze you will need to immortalize our national hero, my beloved ancestor!”
“An excellent proposal, Your Highness!” said the maestro, again bowing his head reverently, “and how would you prefer to see your ancestor immortalized - standing or sitting? With a sword? For everybody knows that Your Highness is himself a sculptor at heart who brims with brilliant ideas!” Ludwig smiled and began, “Thank you Bertel, but for this occasion I have invited you, so that specifically YOU could bestow upon me the idea for such an important monument..” The sculptor paused for a second, thinking to himself, “Ai ai ai, I barely know anything about this Maximilian of old, unless.. wait wait! How the King just mentioned… standing in his stirrups he waved his hand — EUREKA!” He then addressed the King, saying, “Your Highness! A shining idea has occurred to me! We will portray Maximilian upon his war horse in the heat of battle, with an outstretched arm, like the great Falconet portrayed Peter the Great of Russia, almost as a Roman Emperor watching over his army - and in neoclassical style as well!”
“A most fantastic idea, dearest friend,” cried Ludwig with jubilant excitement, “for I knew that you of all people could help me bring this project into the world. Do not lose any time, dearest friend, and show me the rough drawings tonight! And do not worry about the cost - for you know, I do not stay in debt for long, ha ha…”
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Thus was imagined and then fired in bronze and marble the statue of Maximilian the Elector, which to this day graces the Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich. The pedestal is made of marble, the horse and rider are made of cast bronze. The statue was erected in 1839. Maximilian is hailed with the creation of the Catholic League in 1609 to counteract the Protestant Union during the Thirty Years War. In 1623, Maximilian conquered the Palatinate and by the authority of the Holy Roman Emperor he became the Elector of the Upper Palatinate, a title he retained up to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 - which happened to bring to an end the longest war Europe had ever seen up to that point.
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport.
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
2 Taler 1839, MAXIMILIAN I ELECTOR.
Davenport 583, KM 804 (425), Thun 77, AKS 100, J.68, Schw. 24.
To Commemorate Maximilian I, first Elector of the Bavaria.
Obverse: Head of the Ludwig to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN.
Reverse: REITERSAULE MAXIMILIAN'S I CHURFURSTEN V. BAYERN, equestrian statue of the Max, ERRICHTET V. KONIG LUDWIG I 1839 below. (Equestrian column of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, erected by King Ludwig I).
37.1200 g., 0.9000 Silver, 1.0740 oz. ASW.
PCGS MS 62.
Attractive toning with golden iridescence on obverse, clear fields. Great example of the "Historic Thaler" of Ludwig I of Bavaria - popular in between collectors and rare to find in MS state!