The First Wall of the Porcelain Room, from: 'Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis'

The First Wall of the Porcelain Room, from: 'Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis'

Paul Decker the Elder

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This print comes from a book, published in Augsburg in 1711 under the title Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis (The Princely Architect or: Civil Architecture). In its essence this book contains the architect Paul Decker’s ideal prospect, or rather prescription for the perfect nobleman’s’ palace: not too big and not too small, and outfitted with all the luxuries and latest fashions in interior design. He envisioned this book to be meant for other architects to take inspiration from, but at the same time to instruct potential patrons of what to expect from a modern-day palace. For each plate in the book, Decker therefore also included directions to ensure proper execution in terms of materials and colors. Regarding this porcelain room he writes that all the shelves have to be gilded, and gilt objects should be placed against a black ebony background to make them stand out even more. The doors, which used to be made of woodwork, are now to be outfitted with the finest crystal glass instead. The wall panels with Chinoiserie scenes were to be made in lacquer work, following the Asian example and forming the perfect backdrop for a porcelain collection.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The First Wall of the Porcelain Room, from: 'Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis'The First Wall of the Porcelain Room, from: 'Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis'The First Wall of the Porcelain Room, from: 'Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis'The First Wall of the Porcelain Room, from: 'Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis'The First Wall of the Porcelain Room, from: 'Fürstlicher Baumeister Oder: Architectura civilis'

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.