Feldzeugmeister Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, Wood Engraving, Munich, circa 1870

This wood engraved portrait shows Prince Luitpold of Bavaria at bust length in an oval, turned slightly to the left, with a broad full beard and short hair. He wears a dark military tunic with heavy epaulettes and a high collar, with orders at his breast and neck. The oval is set within an elaborate architectural frame: two columns crowned with the lozenge arms of Bavaria and the lion of the Palatinate, a central crowned canopy bearing the cross of a military order between crossed swords, and draped banners and laurel. At either side stands a Bavarian soldier in a crested helmet with his rifle, and a crowned shield with the full arms of Bavaria rests at the foot.

A tablet below is lettered in Fraktur "Feldzeugmeister" and "Prinz Luitpold." on either side of the shield, and the engraver's signature "O. Consée München" appears in small letters at the lower right of the frame.

Luitpold (1821 to 1912), third son of King Ludwig I, made his career in the Bavarian army. He commanded a division in the war of 1866, became inspector general of the army in 1869, and during the Franco Prussian War represented Bavaria at Prussian headquarters, where in December 1870 he presented King Wilhelm with the letter that led to the proclamation of the German Empire. He was promoted to general field marshal rank in 1876, and from 1886 until his death ruled as Prince Regent for his nephews Ludwig II and Otto, a period remembered as a golden age for Munich.

The rank of Feldzeugmeister on the tablet places the portrait before his 1876 promotion, and the patriotic frame suits the years around the war of 1870 and 1871, when illustrated papers published many such tributes. It is a handsome and well cut example of Munich wood engraving.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.