The work of the German stuccoworker and painter Johann Baptist Zimmermann (1680-1758) and his architect brother, Domenikus Zimmermann (1685-1766), epitomizes the Bavarian rococo style. Their masterpiece is the church of Die Wies.

Both the Zimmermann brothers were born at Gaispoint near Wessobrun, Johann Baptist on Jan. 3, 1680, and Domenikus on June 30, 1685. The region was famous for its artisans who worked in colored stucco made in imitation of marble (Stuckmarmor or stucco lustro), and the brothers were trained in this craft at the abbey of Wessobrun. Domenikus also became a master mason, while Johann Baptist became a fresco painter after studying in Augsburg, the leading center for artistic training of the day. They practiced extensively as stucco designers and stuccoworkers, although after 1724 Domenikus dedicated himself almost exclusively to architecture and Johann Baptist concentrated more and more on fresco painting.

Outstanding among the churches designed by appointment to the court at...