Linderhof Palace - Ettal Germany is a photograph by Paolo Signorini which was uploaded on November 3rd, 2021.
Linderhof Palace - Ettal Germany
Linderhof Palace (German: Schloss Linderhof) is a Schloss in Germany, in southwest Bavaria near the village of Ettal. It is the smallest of the three... more
Title
Linderhof Palace - Ettal Germany
Artist
Paolo Signorini
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Linderhof Palace (German: Schloss Linderhof) is a Schloss in Germany, in southwest Bavaria near the village of Ettal. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.
Development
Ludwig already knew the area around Linderhof from his youth when he had accompanied his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria on his hunting trips in the Bavarian Alps. When Ludwig II became King in 1864, he inherited the so-called Königshäuschen from his father, and in 1869 began enlarging the building. In 1874, he decided to tear down the Königshäuschen and rebuild it on its present-day location in the park. At the same time three new rooms and the staircase were added to the remaining U-shaped complex, and the previous wooden exterior was clad with stone façades. The building was designed in the style of the second rococo-period. Between 1863 and 1886, a total of 8,460,937 marks was spent constructing Linderhof
Symbolic background
Although Linderhof is much smaller than Versailles, it is evident that the palace of the French Sun-King Louis XIV (who was an idol for Ludwig) was its inspiration. The staircase, for example, is a reduction of the famous Ambassador's staircase in Versailles, which would be copied in full in Herrenchiemsee. Stylistically, however, the building and its decor take their cues from the mid-18th century Rococo of Louis XV, and the small palace in the Graswang was more directly based on that king's Petit Trianon on the Versailles grounds.The symbol of the sun that can be found everywhere in the decoration of the rooms represents the French notion of absolutism that, for Ludwig, was the perfect incorporation of his ideal of a God-given monarchy with total royal power. Such a monarchy could no longer be realised in Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century. The bedroom was important to the ceremonial life of an absolute monarch; Louis XIV of France used to give his first (lever) and last audience (coucher) of the day in his bedchamber. In imitation of Versailles, the bedroom is the largest chamber of Linderhof Palace. By facing north, however, the Linderhof bedroom inverts the symbolism of its Versailles counterpart, showing Ludwig's self-image as a Night-King
The location of the palace near Ettal Abbey again presents another interesting point. Because of its architecture Ludwig saw the church of the monastery as the room where the holy grail was preserved. This fact connects the idea of a baroque palace to the one of a "medieval" castle such as Neuschwanstein and reminds of the operas of Richard Wagner whose patron Ludwig was. Ludwig was also not unaware that the abbey had been founded by his ancestor and namesake, Emperor Ludwig IV
Uploaded
November 3rd, 2021
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Comments (26)
Holly April Harris
Everything about this image is beautiful! Congratulations! I’m am very pleased to feature your beautiful image in the group Covered Bridges and Historical Buildings. It’s a wonderful addition to the group! Please add it to the “2022 Second Quarter Featured Images Collection” thread in the discussions area for a permanent record of the feature. Thank you!
Phyllis Kaltenbach
This is a very beautiful Palace built by King Ludwig and the last one that we had the privilege of seeing. Your capture is stunning! So beautiful! V/F
Jenny Revitz Soper
Thanks for posting your featured work in the December 2021 features thread of the No Place Like Home Artist Group.
Gary F Richards
Outstanding composition, lighting, shading, color and artwork! F/L Congratulations on your features!
Jenny Revitz Soper
BRAVO! Your artwork has earned a FEATURE on the homepage of the FAA Artist Group No Place Like Home, 12/1/2021! You may also post it in the Group's Features discussion thread and any other thread that fits! l/f