ZIMMERMANN, German family of artists
Johann Baptist Zimmermann and Dominikus Zimmermann were the sons of Elias Zimmermann (1656–95), a stuccoworker and mason from Wessobrunn, whose work is known only from documentary sources. It is almost certain that they learnt their craft as stuccoists in the Wessobrunn school. While Dominikus was almost exclusively associated with Bavarian and Swabian religious architecture, Johann Baptist became the leading representative of 18th-century interior decoration at the Bavarian court. Their collaboration was very influential on the development of Bavarian Rococo. Their extensive output required a large studio or workshop: among Johann Baptist's assistants were his sons Johann Joseph Zimmermann (1707–43) and Franz Michael Zimmermann (1709–84), who were both painters and stuccoists and contributed to the frescoes of the pilgrimage church at Steinhausen, near Schussenried, and the stuccowork at Seligenthal Abbey, Landshut. Franz Michael succeeded his father as court stuccoist to the Elector. Dominikus's son, Franz Dominikus Zimmermann (1714–86), is recorded as stuccowork foreman in his father's workshop from 1737; he also worked at Steinhausen.
