MAXIMILIAN I AND FERDINAND MARIA CONNECTED ACROSS EUROPE
The electors of Bavaria were regents of European rank. Their farreaching connections profoundly influenced the growing grandeur of the Munich court in the course of the 17th century.
Maximilian (1573-1650) surrounded himself with exceptional artists, including famed specialists from abroad. Trained in Florence, the painter Peter Candid would advance to become one of the most influential court artists. His designs for a series of large scale tapestries were executed by Hans van der Biest, a weaver from Brussels Highly skilled craftsmen from the Free Imperial City of Augsburg also contributed to the decoration of the Residenz in Munich
Electress Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (1636-1676) exerted great influence on art and culture at the Munch court during the reign of her consort Ferdinand Mada. Granddaughter of the king of France, Henry IV, she introduced Italian and French tastes. Her apartments to the Residence were designed on the model of the Palazzo Reale in her hometown of Turin.
