26 – 27 Chinese House | 1 Cf. Manger 1789, p. 238. | 2 Cf. Wilhelm 2005, p. 206. | 3 Cf. Tack 1993, p. 44. | 4 Cf. Hüneke 1993, p. 60. | 5 Cf. Komander 1993, p. 74. | 6 Cf. Wilhelm 2005, pp. 196 f. | 7 Cf. Song 2014, p. 20. | 8 Cf. Manger 1789, pp. 237 f. | 9 Cf. Tack 1993, p. 44. | 10 Cf. Harksen 1993, p. 51. | 11 Cf. Tack 1993, p. 45. | 12 Cf. Tack 1993, p. 44. Potsdam pavilion is reminiscent of the Altar of Heaven (Chinese: 天壇) in Beijing because of its basic form. This was built in 1420 by the Yongle Emperor and served emperors as a place to perform harvest rituals. It is astonishing how few Chinese elements can be found in the construction and design of the pavilion, since Chinese export porcelain, which was collected in large quantities by the Prussians, would have offered excellent models for the design of figures, costumes, or instruments. A possible model for the winged pickaxe hood of a figure on the ceiling painting is the Chinese official hat Futou (Chinese: 幞頭, fig. 4). This is depicted in the China illustrata (1667) by the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher and may have inspired the Prussian version (fig. 5). The structure shows which elements of China interested the monarchs. It was an ‘exotic’ idyll mostly associated with the consumption of fine exported goods such as tea or coffee. For China itself is not shown here, but rather the constructor’s own idealised notions of China and its treasures. | CONSTANT I JN JOHANNES LEL IVELD Fig. 5 Athanasius Kircher Matteo Ricci and Paul Xu Guangqi copper engraving, from China Illustrata (French edition), Amsterdam 1670, p. 201
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