Apotheosis of the Elector Carl Theodor of the Palatinate

The painting was created by Joseph Fratrel in 1756, executed on a copper sheet. It depicts the apotheosis of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, and is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is located at the Alte Pinakothek.

Beyond these core facts, the available sources do not provide details on the original commission, the circumstances of its creation, or the chain of ownership leading to its current placement in the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

The painting is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Dated 1756 and executed on a copper sheet, the work is catalogued within the museum's holdings as a painting by Joseph Fratrel.

No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.

Joseph Fratrel’s 1756 work, titled Apotheosis of the Elector Carl Theodor of the Palatinate, is executed on a copper sheet. The composition presents a central female figure in a white dress and feathered helmet, flanked by attendants, cherubs, and a dark, muted backdrop. The piece is part of the Alte Pinakothek’s collection.

The painting reflects the political and cultural ambitions of the Palatinate court in the mid‑18th century, using allegorical imagery to legitimize the Elector’s rule. Rococo’s emphasis on elegance and celebration aligns with the court’s desire to project power through art.