Schwetzingen - Schlösser-Magazin

III.
Fig. 7: Nicolas Guibal, painting
on the ceiling of the Oval
Hall: “Aurora chasing away
the night”, 1772, oil on canvas
(Photo: LAD Esslingen, 2006).
Fig. 8: The Elector’s study in the
bathhouse; landscape paintings
by Ferdinand Kobell (Photo:
LAD Esslingen, 2006).
38
III. Architectural Features
official receptions; is thus another proof of the
bathhouse’s intensely private atmosphere. Two
side cabinets bear witness to the functionality
of the layout – they contain a wardrobe and
a “retirade” with the Elector’s commode.
The “basalt ware” wedgwood vases on the
mantel are an early example of the Elector’s
appreciation of English art. The room is
currently in the process of being restored; it
will receive a yellow wallpaper of Peking silk
decorated with birds of paradise and exotic
flowers, like the one that decorated it at the
time.
For the bathroom, Pigage used stucco and
semiprecious stones to create a grotto. An
oval marble bathtub is sunk into the floor.
The convex wall behind it is decorated with a
stucco curtain. A roof lantern directly above
provides light and ventilation. Four rectangular
stucco reliefs depict naiads bearing water urns.
They are the work of Joseph Anton Pozzi and
closely modeled on the reliefs of the Fontaine
des Innocents by Jean Goujon in Paris. Mirrors
line the ceiling and doors, adding to the room’s
sophistication.
The water was piped into the basin via lead
serpents and an urn; an overflow pipe also
served as plug. The water was heated in the
bathhouse kitchen and conducted to the
bathhouse via subterranean pipes. 21
The surprising elements of the bathroom are
the reversion to antique motifs, and its intimate
character.
Grounds
The unadorned bathhouse exterior reflects
the stylistic preferences of Classicism, which
valued the simplicity and modesty of antique
art, but also the modern attitudes of the
patron. The bathhouse in the Schwetzingen
grounds might well be described as an
example of the age of Enlightenment in visual
form – modern architecture united with an
enlightened mindset.
To the west, the bathhouse was adjoined by
a private garden separated from the rest of
the grounds by walls and slatted wooden
fences. In the centre of this “giardino segreto”
are the so-called water-spouting birds. Pigage
mentions this installation in the “information”
written for the treasury on 8th May 1776.
It was probably completed by that time,
because it was turned over to Court Builder
Huschberger for maintenance: “Le Pavillon
des Bains avec celui à côté pour sa cuisine,
avec les vollieres, les cabinets. Les Berceaux,
et le Pavillon d’optique, qui se trouve dans
l’Enceinte de son petit jardin particulier.” 22 The
21 The lead pipes and copper kettles remained in place until
claimed by a war-related metal-collecting drive in 1916.
22 Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe 221/39, 8th May 1776.