An Allegory of the Union of the House of Orange and the Wittelsbach Family (Design for a Title Page of a Thesis)

Jonas Umbach

1640–93 · Black chalk, pen and brown ink, gray wash · Drawings and Prints

This drawing is related to a thesis print made by Bartholomäus Kilian II for Joseph Covellaet’s defense, which took place in Dillingen in 1665. Its pictorial program celebrates the student’s patron, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, and the Bavarian ruling family. Adelaide, depicted in the guise of the moon, rides a chariot, while her husband, prince-elector Ferdinand Maria, appears as the sun. Four apples held by putti symbolize the couple’s children, and their family tree is watered by bearded men representing the rivers of Bavaria. In the background, women hold the Savoy and Wittelsbach coats of arms against the backdrop of Munich, the electorate’s capital.

Artist

Jonas Umbach

Date

1640–93

Medium

Black chalk, pen and brown ink, gray wash

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Jean A. Bonna Gift, 2005