A rare hand-colored copperplate engraving by Paul Decker the Elder, Plate 54 from Fürstlicher Baumeister, oder Architectura Civilis (The Princely Architect), engraved by Carl Remshart and published by Jeremias Wolff in Augsburg in 1711. The plate shows the long wall of the promenade hall, or Spazier Saal, a soaring Baroque interior with two tiers of tall windows, red marble pilasters, allegorical medallions, and a ceiling worked with painted scenes, gilded ornament, and winged figures. The hand coloring is warm and detailed, with red, gilt, and soft sky tones bringing the vast room to life.
Decker meant these designs both to inspire fellow architects and to show patrons what a modern palace should be, and he paired each plate with directions on materials and colors to guide its execution. More than three centuries on, it remains a beautiful document of Baroque grandeur, framed here in a warm gilt molding with a wide cream mat under glass.
The frame is newly and professionally made, ready to hang.
One of a kind. Hand-colored copperplate engraving, 1711, newly framed under glass.
