Again rain threatened; again we were spared. It did rain, but we were inside. We visited the Residenz, a huge complex of chambers, chapels, waiting rooms, and endless hallways. It was the home and showpiece of the Wittelsbachs, who ruled Munich for 500 years. Many of the interior rooms are Rococo to the max. In the Ancestral Gallery, there are a few more portraits than we have in our home:
And here's the Ornate Chapel, not to be confused with the Court Chapel:
Then there's the Antiquarium, where a Wittelsbach collection of ancient statuary was housed:
It's now used as a presentation space, hence all the chairs. Every one of the niches along those long walls has works like these:
So enough of the monumental, and on to the fine detail. Some pieces are based on shells
and others on rhinoceros horn
and many incorporate pearls, including mis-shapen ones, as in the upper body of this little figure
Try to make out the snakes, the snail, and the eagle in this piece, which is supporting another cup made from a shell:
And finally, my favorite. In 1810, Marie Louise of Bavaria became the second wife of Napoleon, and this traveling set was made for her. It includes dinner service for two, a complete toiletry kit, a ruler, a drill, a set of dentistry tools, and much more, all ingeniously packed into slots and drawers that pull out of the case made of exotic woods with fine ivory and silver inlaid decorations:
I don't think it would get through the security checkpoint even with Global Access.
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