A pavilion of Prussian chinoiserie The Chinese House in Sanssouci Park was a place where guests were received and subjected to an illusion. The pavilion was built in the style of Prussian chinoiserie. The architect Johann Gottfried Büring drafted the building after a sketch by Friedrich II.1 The clover-leaf layout was inspired by Trèfle pavilion in Lunéville Park. In 1752, the Prussian king acquired engravings of this pavilion.2 William Halfpenny’s work Rural Architecture in the Chinese Taste of 1750–1752 also could have been a template.3 It contains temples à la chinoise with a round layout, scaled columns and bells on the cornice, all of which could have inspired the architect of the Potsdam pavilion. The outdoor area is constructed with gilded columns in the shape of palm trees and ornamented with figures making music and drinking tea. The clothing and instruments of the statues, created by Johann Peter Benkert and Johann Gottlieb Heymüller, are designed as fanciful costumes rather than authentic Chinese clothing. The male figure on the roof was constructed after a draft by Benjamin Giese. Fig. 2 Johann Gottfried Büring Chinese House at Sanssouci Park 1754–1764
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTMyNjA1