appeal. To mark this reversal in Schwerin’s fortunes, construction work began on a modern princely palace. However, Paul Friedrich did not live to see it finished. At the time of his death at the age of just 41 in 1842, only the foundations of the building had been completed. His son, Friedrich Franz II, had different ideas and embarked on a radical remodelling of the old schloss of Schwerin. The art collections had to be moved into two specially rented houses on the Pfaffenteich lake, where they were now open to the public for the first time. During this period, numerous works of Italian, early German and early Netherlandish art were acquired, evidently with the aim of transforming the princely collections into a museum informed by the ideals of educated middle-class citizens. The driving force behind these efforts was Eduard Prosch, the Grand Duke’s ‘superintendent of art’ (or surveyor of the Grand Ducal Collections), who was in contact with numerous art dealers. He was also responsible for the large-scale transfer of older works of art from churches in the region. Much of the collection of early German paintings and sculptures – for example, the Tempzin Altarpiece of 1411 and the altarpiece from Lübeck’s Jakobikirche from 1435, better known as the Neustädter Altarpiece – goes back to these divestures. 11 Theodor Schloepke (1812–1878) View of the Approach Beneath the Picture Gallery, 1845 Pencil, watercolour SSGK-MV, inv. no. 2691 Hz
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