"Bavarian Majesty" by Paul McGehee. Germany's famous Neuschwanstein castle towers high above the snow-covered village below...it's a winter evening and the air is cold and crisp. All is in silence. This dramatic view of the world's most-recognized castle is from the vantage point of the Marienbrücke bridge which spans the Pöllat Gorge. Neuschwanstein Castle was a favorite project of King Ludwig II, who had wished to build the most magnificent castle ever constructed. It is located on a bluff within sight of Hohenschwangau Castle where he had spent his childhood days when his father was the King of Bavaria. Young Ludwig had known of this bluff and had drawn many sketches of fanciful castles perched atop it while hiking in the woods as a youth. The year following his father's death in 1868, construction began of his dream castle...it was to take almost 30 years. King Ludwig would not live to see its finish as he died under mysterious circumstances in 1886 at the age of 40, drowning in a boating accident (or more likely, assassination) on the nearby Starnberger See. During his lifetime he was said to have only spent a total of 11 nights in his beloved Neuschwanstein while overseeing construction. Upon his death, Neuschwanstein Castle was opened to the public, and to this day has remained one of Germany's top tourist attractions. It is the crowning achievement of Bavarian architecture, and has been the inspiration for many other castles seen everywhere from movies to childrens' story books to theme parks. "Bavarian Majesty" is faithfully reproduced as an archival-quality print from McGehee's original color pencil drawing issued in a limited edition of only 500 pieces, each hand-signed by the artist. Print image size 10 3/4" x 14 1/2".