1845.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



65 



MAUSOLEUM AT CHARLOTTENBURG. 

 (JVith an Engraving, Plate IV.) 



The Roval Mausoleum in tlie p^irk of Charlottenburg has long ln^cn 

 an object of d<'ep interest, both us ti'stifying tlie conjugal piety of the 

 late Frederic William III. of Prussia, and on account of its enshrining 

 within its walls a masterpiece of modern sculpture, which if not perhaps 

 the very finest production of Ranch's chisel, is the one which most im- 

 presses the feelings of the spectator— the exquisite recumbent statue 

 of the lamented Louisa of Prussia. Thirty years after the death of 

 his consort, died Frederic William (June, 1840), and according to his 

 express directions was entombed in the same sepulchred chamber, hi 

 consequence of this, the present king ordered another sarcophagus to 

 be erected similar in design to that of the queen, with a figure of the 

 late monarch executed by the same artist, and further ordered the 

 building itself to be enlarged by the addition of the chapel, d. The 

 works were completed within about a year and a half, and the mauso- 

 leum solemnly opened again on the 7th June, IS 13. The sarcophagus 

 and fifure of th'- king, however, were not then finished, therefore only 

 a temporary plaster model of it was placed where the marble one is to 

 •tand — or perhaps now actually stands. 



Who was the first architect of the Mausoleum we are not informed, 

 — for almost everywhere alike, it would seem, an architect's name is 

 of no importance or interest- — but as the account which accompanies 

 the plan, &c., proceeds from Bau-inspector Hesse of Berlin, we may 

 take it for granted that he was the architect employed in enlarging 

 and redecorating the structure, in which last respect it has undergone 

 material change — at least great change of materials. The tetrastyle 

 Grecian Doric portico, which was orignally of sandstone, is now en- 

 tirely of highly polished granite, and each of the columns formed of a 

 single piece, or rather all the four were cut out of a single block ; and 

 the doors within the portico are of bronze. The first space or vesti- 

 bule portion of the plan, marked B, is 20 feet by 17 feet, and lower 

 than the rest, up to which is an ascent by a flight of steps on each 

 side, and between them a centre flight leading down to the crvjit or 

 vault. This difference of level contributes greatly to the striking 

 effect of perspective, which is further enhanced by that of light falling 

 down in the distance behind llie columns. By this means also although 

 the whole interior is disclosed on first entering, it is not fully revealed, 

 but a well-defined interval is interposed between the body of the 

 Mausoleum and the portico. The flighls of steps are of Silesian mar- 

 ble, and the four columns in the space, e, (which is 20 feet by IG feet 

 within the coIumns,)are of a green and red marble, with white basrs 

 and capitals; and were brought hither from the royal chateau of 

 Oranienburg. The other four columns, which divide c from t/, are of 

 Poldevere marble from quarries near Genoa, selected so as to be as 

 nearly as possible of the same colour as the others. As is shown by 

 the section, the division c of the interior is lighted from above. The 

 darker parts of the section describe the original portions of the build- 

 ing, and those of a lighter tint the additional ones. Tli> part d, (33 

 feet by 20 feet and 25 feet high,) is paved with black and white mar- 

 ble, has its walls encrusted with Silesian marble, veined with green 

 and violet on a greyish ground, and is lighted by five windows in the 

 upper part of the wall at each end. The walls are further adorn'-d 

 with a border of lapis lazuli, on which are inscribed suitable texts 

 from scripture in letters of gilt bronze ; and the tribune or recess \i 

 painted in fresco on a gold ground. 'I'hus, notwithstanding that there 

 is comparatively little to be shown in a nitre outline section, there 

 must be great richness and effect as to colour, as well as to perspec- 

 tive, and light and shade, — merits which the section alone would nut 

 convey an idea of, without some verbal explanation and description, 

 whereas, aided by these it is now capable of affording a complete 

 picture to the imagination. 



As now altered, the structure it will be observed is just double its 

 former size, the new portion, d, being equal to 6 and c, but placed 

 transversely to it, and also loftier, both which circumstances very 

 greatly improve the exterior, by producing variety and contrast of 

 well-opposed masses, while at the same time sufficient simplicity- 

 even to severity perhaps— is preserved. Nur is such disposition of 

 the two main divisions of the plan less favourable to internal effect, 

 inasmuch as the further part expands both sideways and upwards, and 

 the combination of diflerent heights as well as different levels is sin- 

 gularly ett'ective and piquant. In fact, barren as the design looks at 

 llie first glance, it will be found upou inspection to contain the ele- 

 ments of a more than usually scenic piece of interior architecture. 



No. 90,— Vol. VllI,— March, 1845. 



CANDIDUS'S NOTE-BOOK, 

 FASCICULUS LXIL 



'• I must have liLerty 

 Withal, as large a charier as tlie winds, 

 To blow on whom 1 please." 



L 'Tis strange there should uniformly be so much gratuitous 

 hypocrisy, and nauseously canting humbug respecting the moral in- 

 fluence of the fine arts. Fudge I anil very silly and useless fudge, 

 too! In the first place it amounts to an acknowledgment tha art 

 is not worth cultivating for its own sake; that the people of this 

 country care nothing for art — have no relish for it, and can be brought 

 to encourage it only by being persuaded of its innate "goodTUin" and 

 moral efficacy ; or else an appeal in behalf of it must be made to that 

 very sensitive part of them — their pockets, and they must be con- 

 vinced that art is capable of greatly increasing their commerce, bf 

 improving their manufactures, mammon being fonnd to be here the 

 most eloquent advocate for art. In the next place, the " moral in- 

 fluence" argument will not " hold water at all." History fl.itly gives the 

 lie to it at once, because if such argument were at all more than mere 

 moonshine, the court of Leo X. would have been the most moral court 

 in the world — quite a pattern one, whereas it was notoriously the re- 

 verse, and so was that of the arch art-Mecanas, Louis XIV. Still 

 that such should be the case does not aft'ord, f contra, a positive argu- 

 ment against art — although it may after all be questionable whether 

 art be particularly favourable to the "severe virtues." On which 

 account, the more prudent course is not to provoke a too nice and 

 sifting inquiry into the real influence of art, by crying it up as of mar- 

 vellous efficacy for moral good. Let us have as much of art as we can 

 get, and as little maudlin eant about it as possible. Of cant there is 

 quite enough already served up to the public in every imaginable 

 shape. Religious cant does not amount to a tenth part of it. There 

 is your cant political, and your cant literary; there is your aristocratic 

 cant and your utilitarian cant; the vulgarian cant of would-be gen- 

 tilitv, and the hysterical cant of would-be benevolence. But, if we 

 can'preserve nothing else from it, let us at least endeavour to keep 

 art intact from cant, and from the humiliating humbug of hollow, 

 make-believe enthusiasm. Salvator Rosa's energetic satire, "La 

 Pittura," does not say much for the so-inuch-talked-of moral influence 

 of Art ; at all events Ae was not addicted to humbug. 



II. Nothing can be more truly impolitic than for professional men 

 to sneer, as they are apt sometimes to do, at those who take up the 

 study of architecture merely as an intellectual and esthetic pursuit. 

 Rather ought they to feel flattered by their art being looked upou in 

 such light; and if they at all understood their own interest, not per- 

 haps as individuals, but as a body, they would do all in their power to 

 encourage such a taste, and to promote the dift'usion of it as widely as 

 possible. Nevertheless, they either are incapable of perceiving or 

 else obstinately refuse to see the advantage that would hence result 

 to them, unless just when they happen to feel the sad inconvenience 

 that attends their being at the mercy of committees who are utterly 

 unable to judge of architectural design'.. Then, indeed, there is sad 

 lamentation about the ignorance and utter incompetency of the judges 

 who decide on such occasions ; then a sort of glimmering comes across 

 the professional mind, just enabling it to discern that it might be as 

 well if the non-professionals who compose such committees, and ac- 

 cordingly possess great power and influence for either the advance- 

 ment 01- retardment of the art, were capable of fully appreciating the 

 drawings submitted to them, and no less willing than able to bestow 

 upon them an impaitial and patient examination. Yet what wonder 

 is it that such persons— no matter what their rank in society— should 

 be generally quite incompetent, if, as non-profession.d», they have 

 hardlv any right to qualify themselves properly for the office they 

 undertake. Instruct the public, and then there will be no great diffi- 

 culty of finding sufficiently capable persons for committees at compe- 

 tions ; and the belter instructed and more intelligent they are, the 

 mora impartial would they be likely to prove, and less liable to be 

 swayed by sinister motives, because they would theu be more earnest, 

 and feel really interested in the best design being chosen. There 

 would, besides, be far less danger than at present of having to en- 

 counter stupid obstinacy ; the well-informed man knows his own defi- 

 ciencies, knows where he ought to yield to the professional one, be- 

 cause he is capable of understanding, and is therefore ready to be con- 

 vinced by, his arguments, when they are well supported ; whereas stupid- 

 ity, which is generally accompanied by an equal degree of obstinacy, is 

 not to be siirred bv any argument or reasoning whatever. Yet, so 

 far from hearing any cry of "Instruct the public in architecture," we 

 may frequently detect a suppressed feeling of jealousy on the part of 

 professional writers towards those who attempt tp bring architectural 

 topics more immediately before the general public, conveyed in a 



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