Ludwig II and his castles

   Work Progress at Herrenchiemsee Palace – Salle des Gardes In October 1879, the “Die malerische Ausschmückung” of the room began¹. In March 1882, individual overdoor paintings were commissioned for specific artists²; designs for them were still being created at the beginning of 1883³, so they were probably completed toward the end of 1883. In March 1882, scaffolding was also erected so that the artists could begin work on the paintings⁴. In April 1882, stucco workers began polishing the marble⁵, and the work was completed in July 1882⁶. In March 1882, it was also commissioned that ten wall chandeliers be installed⁷. The ceiling painting began in June 1881 and was completed sometime in 1882; it was painted by Widnmann⁸. In August 1882, Perron completed two models for halberds⁹, so their production may have begun around this time and been finished sometime in 1883. Today, the halberds are placed by the wall with the doors, but during the king’s lifetime they stood along the wa...

 Work Progress at Herrenchiemsee Palace – Grand Staircase Work on the staircase had already begun in 1880¹, but construction proceeded in full only in 1882, when scaffolding was erected in February 1882². In April 1882, the staircase received its rough plastering. In July 1882, stucco workers began working on the staircase³. The stucco work was carried out by the Detoma company, which calculated the costs at 176,821.88 marks⁴. It is certain that Perron worked on the figurative parts of the staircase (figures on the cornice, statues in the niches, and the fountain) from 1883⁵. In April 1884, the segmental arch above the main figurative group on the cornice was completed⁶. At the end of April or the beginning of May 1884, work on the stucco marble (the walls) began⁷. In May, the central figurative group had already been completed, as it was being moved during this period⁸. In August 1884, the stucco marble was polished and thereby finished⁹. In the same month, one of the niche statue...

  Inkstand – Study, Herrenchiemsee The inkstand was designed in 1883. The architect Brochier created the design, the figural elements were designed by Widnmann, the model was executed by the sculptor Krämer, and the piece was produced by the firm Harrach & Sohn (Bayerischer Kunstgewerbeverein: … zu München, 38, 1888, p. 16). The inkstand cost 25,000 marks (Baumgartner, Traum ). Based on the year of the design, it can be identified as intended for the study at Herrenchiemsee Palace, during the period of detailed planning for this room. In the same year, the “Bureau du Roi,” the desk on which the inkstand was planned to be placed, was already in production. The “Bureau du Roi” was completed in August 1884 and was already installed in the study, where it was cleaned and its medallions revised. The inkstand was probably produced at the end of 1885 or the beginning of 1886, as a cost estimate (“Voranschlag”) dated August 13, 1885, has survived. It reads: “Inkstand ensemble, consi...