Portrait König LudwigI. von Bayern - art history

The present version of the crowning portrait is of much lower quality than the original by Joseph Karl Stieler, and involvement of his studio is unlikely. The use of prints after Stielers work as a model would seem more plausible and would suggest a date 1834 or later.

The present version nevertheless  shows intersting pentimenti, such as changes in the figure (placement of right arm) and  a tasseled curtain as a backdrop.
A similar curtain appears in another version of the crowning portrait of LudwigI. At the Städtische Sammlungen, Wasserburg.

The reason for the changes remains unclear. Maybe a print of Stielers new work only became available after this painting was begun. Stielers crowning portrait of Max Joseph I. of Bavaria features a similar curtain and may have served first as a model.

Stielers crowning portraits became standard for representations of bavarian kings and many similar versions showing later bavarian rulers exist.