GERHARD, Hubert
(b. ca. 1550, s'Hertogenbosch, d. 1620, München)

The Allegory of Bavaria

c. 1590
Cast bronze, height 231 cm
Residenzmuseum, Munich

In Munich, Hubert Gerhard ensured the transition from Mannerism to Baroque until 1620. Gerhard, the religious creator of St Michael, was more Mannerist in his secular decorations. He cast the fountains for the Residenz, and the massive Tellus Bavarica, the personification of Bavaria, bearing the symbols of abundance. With her distant look, small breasts and ample stomach, she personifies opulence with a mysterious tranquillity.