1/2 Maximilian d'Or Electorate of Bavaria (1623 - 1806) Gold

Mint Year: 1722

Mint Place: Munich
Denomination: Gold ½ Max d’Or

Reference: Hahn 205, Friedberg 227, KM-395 (2-year type!).
Diameter: 20mm
Weight: 3.25gm

Material: Gold

Obverse: Bare bust of Maximilian Joseph as Elector of Bavaria right. Mint mark (*) below.

Legend: M E V B & P S D C P R S R I A & E L L.
 

Reverse: Madonna enthroned facing, holding baby-Jesus child and scepter. Coat-of-arms of Bavaria below, date (17-22) split at sides.

Legend: IN TE SPERANTIB9 CLYPEVS OMNIB9 = clypeus omnibus in te sperantibus ( "A shield to all who hope in thee." )

During his entire reign Maximilian II Emanuel patronized the arts. As governor of the Spanish Netherlands he acquired numerous Dutch and Flemish paintings for the Wittelsbach collection. The first half of Max Emanuel’s reign was still dominated by his parents' Italian court artists, like Enrico Zuccalli and Giovanni Antonio Viscardi. Between 1684 and 1688, Zuccalli built Italian style Lustheim Palace for Max Emanuel and his first wife Maria Antonia, located on a central island. With the appointment of Joseph Effner serving as chief architect of the court and the young François de Cuvilliés as his assistant, the French influence significantly increased and Max Emanuel’s return in 1715 marked the origin of the era of Bavarian Rococo. The Nymphenburg Palace was enlarged, the Dachau Palace redesigned, and the new Schleissheim Palace was finally completed (1726) during Max Emanuel’s reign. These palaces were connected with a network of canals as Max Emanuel had become acquainted with in the Netherlands. Between 1715 and 1717, he had the Baroque style Fürstenried Palace built by Effner as a hunting lodge which was the extension and modification of an already existing noble mansion.

Maximilian II (11 July 1662 – 26 February 1726), also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last governor of the Spanish Netherlands and Duke of Luxembourg. An able soldier, his ambition led to conflicts that limited his ultimate dynastic achievements.

He was born in Munich to Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy (d.1676). His maternal grandparents were Victor Amadeus I of Savoy and Christine of France, daughter of King Henri IV.