Ceiling painting

1738 · Benedictine Abbey Church, Zwiefalten

religious

The present buildings of Zwiefalten Abbey were constructed in German Baroque style from 1739-47 under the direction of Johann Michael Fischer, who began overseeing the work in 1741. The interior, considered a model of Baroque design, is filled with ornate chapels and gilded balustrades, dominated by the high altar, which combines a Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary dating from 1430 with Baroque additions (dating from about 1750) by Johann Joseph Christian (1706-1677). The elaborate frescoes are by Franz Joseph Spiegler, the stucco work by Johann Michael Feuchtmayer the Younger.

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About the Artist

Franz Joseph Spiegler

1691 – 1756

German painter. He is best known for his frescoes, which decorate many of the churches and monasteries along the Upper Swabian Baroque Route. The frescoes in the Zwiefalten Abbey are considered his masterpiece. Around 1710 Spiegler began training as a painter in Munich under the tutelage of his great-uncle, the Bavarian court painter Johann Kaspar Sing (1651-1729). During the course of his studies, Spiegler also became acquainted with the historical painting in vogue with the Dutch painters of the time. From 1723 to 1725 Spiegler painted frescoes in the Ottobeuren Abbey that show the strong influence of the Italian painter Jacopo Amigoni. Later he also created frescoes and oil paintings for numerous monasteries, churches, and castles in the regions of Upper Swabia, Lake Constance, the Black Forest, and the Upper Rhine.

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