This park is full of surprises: Not only do we have Greek statues and Greek temples, there is even a Chinese house hidden in the forest. Apparently, all things related to the mysterious Far East were of great interest at that time, and this "European" interpretation of things Chinese has some very cute, and some rather funny features: Look at the faces of the portrayed "Chinese" - they definitely got these out of the wrong supply house ....
The CHINESE HOUSE - is a garden pavilion built by Frederick the Great to adorn his flower and vegetable garden. It was built between 1755 and 1764 in the then-popular style of Chinoiserie, a mixture of ornamental rococo elements and parts of Chinese architecture. The unusually long building time of 9 years is attributed to the Seven Years' War, during which Prussia's economic and financial situation suffered significantly. Only after the end of the war in 1763 were the chambers inside the pavilion furnished. The building was Frederick the Great's attempt to follow the Chinese fashion of the 18th century, which began in France before spreading to England, Germany, and Russia.
CHINOISERIE - In the 17th century, Dutch traders brought Chinese mother-of-pearl, lacquer, silks and porcelain to Europe. In the noble courts of the baroque era, an interest in Oriental arts grew during the rococo period into Chinoiserie, a genuine fashion for all things Chinese. In addition to the enthusiasm for Asian luxury goods which harmonized with the certain forms of rococo, travelogues and exhibitions portrayed the carefree living of the Chinese, which corresponded with the European courts' ideal of a relaxed lifestyle. Whole rooms of palaces were decorated with porcelain, small Chinese-style furniture and wall murals which presented the ideal world that was supposedly China.
Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction, maps and information for the entire series. Find it at:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-693834-1.htmlDETAILS ON POTSDAM: Set 50 provides an intro, see:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-699827-1.htmlEARLIER POSTS of this series: Access my topic list, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105Thank you for visiting, I recommend viewing the downloads and look forward to your comments and questions.
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1 - Shady paths encourage a stroll in the wooded areas of the Sanssouci Park
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2 - Another forested park scene
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3 - The Chinese House, built 1755-64 during a period of intense interest in Europe for the then exotic arts of the Orient
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4 - Detail of the decoration on the top of the Chinese House
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5 - Rear view of the house with statues of musicians
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6 - Frontal view of the house with 2 groups and musicians to the side
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7 - Group of statues with a man presenting a gift to a lady
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8 - Group of statues depicting people in interaction
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9 - Statue of a musician with a string instrument
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10 - Statue of woman with a string instrument
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City map of Potsdam for your reference
Thank you uhaas for looking in on my ongoing travelogue and taking the time to send a message.
angler wrote:
Excellent set Joe.
Thank you Jim for your kind words.
Joe, wanted to thank you for taking the time to write the descriptions of what we are looking at. Definitely adds appreciation, at least on my part. Had to laugh at the man in number 4 with the full beard. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen a Chinese with a full beard. The walking paths are very inviting.
Wow, the Chinese House is quite a lot of eye candy. As you said, the portrayals of the “Chinese” figures are not very Oriental-looking. More like they used their Germanic neighbors, especially as NMGal said, the man with the full beard in #4.
I very much like all the trees and the area. Lovely place to visit and walk around along with an interesting display of statues and architecture.
Beautiful, Joe. It takes about that long to get something built around here, too. And we are not currently at war.
NMGal wrote:
Joe, wanted to thank you for taking the time to write the descriptions of what we are looking at. Definitely adds appreciation, at least on my part. Had to laugh at the man in number 4 with the full beard. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen a Chinese with a full beard. The walking paths are very inviting.
Thanks Barbara - and I am glad to hear of your appreciation of the descriptions, I hope that it adds to a fuller understanding of the photography. You are definitely right: full facial hair is not a hallmark of Oriental faces. Like you, I also enjoyed the walking paths in this forested area.
lnl wrote:
Wow, the Chinese House is quite a lot of eye candy. As you said, the portrayals of the “Chinese” figures are not very Oriental-looking. More like they used their Germanic neighbors, especially as NMGal said, the man with the full beard in #4.
I very much like all the trees and the area. Lovely place to visit and walk around along with an interesting display of statues and architecture.
Thanks Ellen, yes, lots of eye candy here, even if of a different taste. That bearded man on top of the building is quite a show for depicting a Chinese, and so are the sharp noses of many of these statues, particularly the musician in #9. We were there in late September, so it wasn't that hot anymore, but I can imagine this to be very pleasant to walk in the shaded areas on a hot summer day. By-the-way, I can only show a few of these statues here, if you are intrigued by them, there would be plenty more in my on-line albums, you would have to look at the "Full" album, towards the end of the "North European Plan 4 - Germany - Berlin" part, you can easily access it on
www.weberwest.weebly.com
kpmac wrote:
Beautiful, Joe. It takes about that long to get something built around here, too. And we are not currently at war.
Thanks Ken for your kind comment. Actually, for a small house, this was a rather long time, but when you look at the gigantic cathedrals over in the old world, many of them took many decades if not centuries to build.
DrJoeS
Loc: Tampa Bay area (FL)
Quite a place. Great pics
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