Johann Michael Wittmer

Work was hard to come by, however, and his situation didn't improve until 1832 when, through the mediation of Count Franz Pocci, he was introduced to Crown Prince (later King) Maximilian of Bavaria.

The following year, he accompanied the Prince on a grand tour of the "Orient", visiting and painting numerous historical sites throughout Greece then, following a visit with Maximilian's brother Otto, on to Constantinople (Istanbul) where the Prince's influence enabled them to see parts of the Hagia Sophia that were not open to the public.

Tragedy struck in 1835 when most of Murnau was destroyed by a fire, leaving his family's extensive collection of paintings and drawings lying in ashes.

[1] The year 1839 saw the death of his father-in-law, Joseph Anton Koch, who had been a major influence on his painting style.

The King's patronage continued, however, and Wittmer made trips to Bavaria almost every year after 1857, but turned down the offer of a professorship in Munich, preferring not to make his wife and children relocate.