Lot Essay
Schinkel designed the Fürstentreppe (Prince's Staircase) for the Schloss at Stettin, now Szezecin in Western Poland, in 1840. The alterations to the garden façade of the Schloss, formerly the residence of the Dukes of Pomerania, were intended to give separate access to the new reception rooms built for Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, later King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, and the Royal family. The initial conception, as the autograph note on the current lot indicates, came from a sketch by the Crown Prince himself, now in the Staatsarchiv, Berlin, H. Vogel, op. cit., p. 29, fig. 32. In order to harmonize the new two-storey structure with the older building, Schinkel modelled his loggia on existing arcades on the northern and western sides of the Schloss's inner courtyard. The staircase was built in 1841-2.
We are grateful for Professor Dr. Peter Betthausen's assistance in cataloguing this lot. Professor Betthausen notes that the drawing may have been intended for presentation to the Crown Prince.
We are grateful for Professor Dr. Peter Betthausen's assistance in cataloguing this lot. Professor Betthausen notes that the drawing may have been intended for presentation to the Crown Prince.