Peoples, Portraits, Bavaria, Wittelsbach, Peter Candid
“Otto M. Com: P. Witelsbac: Boioariae Dux Landeshutam Civitatem, et Arcem in Monte Adiacente Sedem Ducalem Aedificat An: MLXXXII”
Otto of Wittelsbach Directing the Construction of Landshut, Bavaria
Original antique copper engraving by Karl Gustav Amling, after a design by Peter Candid (c. 1548–1628). Dated 1697.
The richly detailed historical scene depicts Otto of Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria, mounted on horseback and examining an architectural plan while directing the establishment of Landshut and its castle on the adjacent mountain as a ducal residence. He is surrounded by an elaborately dressed retinue, while numerous laborers below dig, haul materials and construct the new city.
A hunting dog stands beside the duke's horse, while the aristocratic figures carry weapons and wear elaborate 17th-century interpretations of medieval costume. The background is filled with the developing settlement, monumental architecture and fortified buildings, making the engraving particularly interesting as a depiction of Bavarian history, architecture, construction and courtly life.
The Latin inscription records the traditional account of Otto establishing Landshut and its ducal seat in 1082. The subject belongs to the broader Wittelsbach dynastic artistic tradition associated with the Bavarian court and Munich. Peter Candid was an important court artist for the Wittelsbachs, and Karl Gustav Amling translated his compositions into finely executed engravings.
Condition: The sheet has been supplemented in all four corners of the margins. The engraved image is complete and unaffected by the restoration. There are several additional small, old margin repairs, including small tears that were backed centuries ago. The paper is only slightly age-toned, with light age-related soiling to the margins. Very good impression and print quality.
A rare and visually striking 17th-century engraving relating to Wittelsbach history, Landshut, Bavaria, and the Munich court.
