II. - Schloss Schwetzingen

III.
Fig. 1: Room on the fi rst fl oor
of the central block, historical
photograph dating from the
early 20th century (Staatliche
Schlösser und Gärten Baden-
Württemberg, Bruchsal).
122
III. Schwetzingen – Historical Context
2. The Palace Interior Through the Ages
The palace of Schwetzingen, once a medieval
fortress, underwent many alterations in the
course of its 650-year history. Not only the
building itself, but also its interiors, were much
changed over time. Especially the demands
made on a Baroque summer residence necessitated
a lot of refurbishing. From the time
before the Palatine War of Succession only a
few Gothic rooms with oriels survive. As regards
the interior decoration and furnishing, little
is known even of the early Baroque period.
The earliest remains date from the time of
Elector Carl Philipp (1716-1742): fi ne stuccoed
ceilings on the fi rst fl oor and a recess for
an oven on the second. Between 1748 and
1785, Elector Carl Theodor commissioned the
architect Nicolas Pigage (1723-1796) to redecorate
a number of rooms in a Rococo style.
Pigage, who was director of gardens and water
features too, had little chance of infl uencing
the outer appearance of the palace – the look
of the main building, wings and quarter-circle
pavilions, had long been determined. Only
in the design of the interior could he make
his infl uence felt, and he cooperated with
the Elector in designing the mantelpieces,
wainscoting and stuccoed ceilings. When the
rooms were apportioned, those in the north
of the ground and fi rst fl oors became Carl
Theodor’s apartments (Rooms 103-107), while
the southern rooms on the ground and fi rst
fl oors became those of the Electress, Elisabeth
Auguste (Rooms 115-127). The medieval
core building did not allow a symmetrical
layout modeled on that proposed by French
theoretician Blondel, and so the two linear
suites of rooms (enfi lades) were arranged
east-west and north-south instead. Both
include antechambers, salles de compagnie or
salles d’assemblée, chambres de parade and
cabinets.
The second fl oor was reserved for the apartments
of Duke Christian von Pfalz-Zweibrücken
(1722-1775) and Count Palatine Friedrich
Michael von Pfalz-Zweibrücken (1724-1767).
When Carl Theodor’s long-awaited son and
heir died, they had become next in the line of
succession. The rooms were not elaborately
decorated, however.
The most valuable and authentic interior of
the electoral age is without a doubt, that of
the bathhouse in the Schwetzingen grounds.
Built c.1775 by Pigage and the court craftsmen
from Mannheim in a neo-Classical style, it
has survived intact, except for some pieces of
furniture. This is where Carl Theodor retreated
when he wanted to be merely “a good
man and pleasant companion”. 61 The interior
betrays the Elector’s very modern personal
taste; the intimacy and functionality displayed
here did not become customary until the 19th
century. The walls and furniture are designed
to complement each other; the precious
materials add to the dignity of the rooms.
Besides the court carpenters Zeller and Graf,
Carl Theodor employed a master furniture
maker from Osthofen, Johann Georg Wahl.
Among other things, Wahl created a highly
decorated bureau for the Elector’s bedroom;
it was taken to Munich at the end of the 18th
century, and today is at Schloss Berchtesgaden.
Furniture makers from Mannheim built
simple, solid furniture in the Louis XVI or
61 Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart 1777. From: Dietrich
Rentsch, Schloss und Garten Schwetzingen, Karlsruhe 1987, p.
44.