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Lot Essay
This view of the Palace of Sanssouci was derived from Carl Daniel Freydanck's dated painting of 1843 in the KPM archive, Schloss Charlottenburg (Inv. No. 173).
Sanssouci was built by Frederick II 'The Great' (1712-1786) in 1745-47 as a single-story private residence. The terraced gardens below it had fountains and commanded superb views over Potsdam. The grounds of the palace were extended and remodelled as part of a larger vision for the Potsdam area by Peter Joseph Lenné (1789-1866).
The cast-iron bridge over the Schafgraben (Sheep Canal) in the foreground was built by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (with whom Lenné frequently collaborated) in 1836, replacing the earlier much simpler bridge. After succeeding to the throne in 1840, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia (1795-1861), improved the water pressure of the great fountain just beyond the bridge by installing a steam engine (in 1842) which pumped water up the Ruinenberg to a reservoir. Previously, the great fountain had rarely been in use because there was insufficient water pressure. The basin of the fountain was replaced by a larger one, and this in turn altered the layout of the sculptures placed around it. The vase also shows the stone benches seen between the sculptures. Although they appear in Freydanck's 1843 painting, these benches were not actually installed until 1848; and they do not appear in a contemporary 1843 description of the gardens or in Freydanck's oil sketches. It is currently thought that the porcelain painter, August Walter, added the benches to Freydanck's painting in 1848.
For a discussion of the redevelopments at Sanssouci and an illustration of Freydanck's 1843 painting, see Ilse and Winfried Baer, et al., Along the Royal Road, Berlin and Potsdam in KPM Porcelain and Painting 1815-1848 (New York 1993), The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, New York, Exhibition Catalogue 13th October 1993 - 30th January 1994, pp. 192-193; and Ilse and Winfried Baer et al., Carl Daniel Freydanck 1811-1887 Ein Vedutenmaler der KPM (1987) Schloss Charlottenburg Exhibition Catalogue 6th June - 30th August 1987, pp. 99-100 for another discussion and an oil sketch (p. 100, no. 24 a) by Freydanck for his painting of 1843 (and p. 105 for an illustration of the 1843 painting).
The Neue Palais was built between 1763 and 1769 for Frederick the Great by the architects Johann Gottfried Büring and Heinrich Ludewig Manger as a palace for the more official Royal engagements and ceremonial functions, although Frederick was very influential in its design.
Sanssouci was built by Frederick II 'The Great' (1712-1786) in 1745-47 as a single-story private residence. The terraced gardens below it had fountains and commanded superb views over Potsdam. The grounds of the palace were extended and remodelled as part of a larger vision for the Potsdam area by Peter Joseph Lenné (1789-1866).
The cast-iron bridge over the Schafgraben (Sheep Canal) in the foreground was built by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (with whom Lenné frequently collaborated) in 1836, replacing the earlier much simpler bridge. After succeeding to the throne in 1840, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia (1795-1861), improved the water pressure of the great fountain just beyond the bridge by installing a steam engine (in 1842) which pumped water up the Ruinenberg to a reservoir. Previously, the great fountain had rarely been in use because there was insufficient water pressure. The basin of the fountain was replaced by a larger one, and this in turn altered the layout of the sculptures placed around it. The vase also shows the stone benches seen between the sculptures. Although they appear in Freydanck's 1843 painting, these benches were not actually installed until 1848; and they do not appear in a contemporary 1843 description of the gardens or in Freydanck's oil sketches. It is currently thought that the porcelain painter, August Walter, added the benches to Freydanck's painting in 1848.
For a discussion of the redevelopments at Sanssouci and an illustration of Freydanck's 1843 painting, see Ilse and Winfried Baer, et al., Along the Royal Road, Berlin and Potsdam in KPM Porcelain and Painting 1815-1848 (New York 1993), The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, New York, Exhibition Catalogue 13th October 1993 - 30th January 1994, pp. 192-193; and Ilse and Winfried Baer et al., Carl Daniel Freydanck 1811-1887 Ein Vedutenmaler der KPM (1987) Schloss Charlottenburg Exhibition Catalogue 6th June - 30th August 1987, pp. 99-100 for another discussion and an oil sketch (p. 100, no. 24 a) by Freydanck for his painting of 1843 (and p. 105 for an illustration of the 1843 painting).
The Neue Palais was built between 1763 and 1769 for Frederick the Great by the architects Johann Gottfried Büring and Heinrich Ludewig Manger as a palace for the more official Royal engagements and ceremonial functions, although Frederick was very influential in its design.