SCRWANTHALER, LUDWIG MICHAEL, a celebrated German sculptor, was b. in 1802 at Munich, where his father, Franz Schwanthaler, practiced the same art. Young Schwanthaler entered his father's workshop at the age of 16; and on the death of the latter in 1891, he undertook to carry on his father's business. His first important com missions were received in 1824 from king Maximilian. After a brief residence in Rome, he set up a studio of his own at Munich, and shortly after executed for the Glyptothele there two fine bas-reliefs from Homer: "Achilles struggling in the Scamander," and the "Battle by the Ships," besides a statue of Shakespeare for the saloon of the theater. and the Bacchus-frieze for the banqueting-hall in the paloce of duke Maximilian. In 1839 ho revisited Rome, for the purpose of preparing models for that portion of the national monument of Valhalla intrusted to his supervision. Ile remained two years. On his return to Munich, lie began his bas-reliefs to illustrate Pindar's (Triumphal Odes) and the myth of Aphrodite, the latter of which is 21 frieze. In 1835 he wns appointed professor at the Munich academy. Henceforth, the interest of his career is mainly professional; but the number of his works is singularly great, while their excel knee is such as to place him in the first rank of German sculptors. His distinguishing
characteristics are a thorough originality of design, and boldness of imagination; while the extraordinary extent of his acquaintance with the sculpture of Greece and of the middle ages gave a great richness and variety to his execution of details. Among his works may be mentioned 24 statuettes in the Phutkothek at Munich; the great bas-relief frieze (in the I3arbarossa hall). more than 205 ft. long; the models for the 12 statues of the ancestors of the house of Wittelsbach, the 15 colossal statues for the front pediment of the Valhalla, the models of the 15 statues of the "Battle of Arminius" for the northern end of the same structure, and the model of the colossal statue of Bavaria, 54 ft. high; a marble statue of the emperor Rudolf for the cathedral of Spires, models for the statues of Goethe and .Tenn Paul Richter, a statute of :Kozak, marble groups of Ceres and Pros-. erpina (at Berlin), etc., besides numerous other works executed by his pupils from his designs. He died in 1848.