Berlin, Klosterstrasse. Gewerbeinstitut. Beuth in his work residence

This large-format watercolour forms part of a group of allegorical pictures, each of which was presented to Beuth by Schinkel between 1834 and 1839 to commemorate a number of different occasions (Schulze Altcappenberg, H., in Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Das Studienbuch, pp. 199-210). It shows Schinkel’s friend and companion in the apartment in Klosterstrasse provided by the Gewerbeinstitut: the setting reflects both the occupant’s diligence as an administrator and his passion as a collector, evoking an atmosphere for which Schinkel would probably have felt a good deal of affinity, particularly since he had personally designed the drafting desk on the left (still to be seen today at the Kupferstichkabinett). The picture accords particular attention to the group of objects located on the mantelpiece above the fireplace. Arranged beneath a blue and white majolica wall plate, reminiscent of the work of Luca della Robbia, are a group of busts and figurines, including ones of Neptune and Mercury (the latter tying his sandals) based on classical models. Situated in the middle of the mantelpiece behind the figurines is an item that strikes a somewhat incongruous note in this classical setting: an object known as the ‘Beuth-Schinkel Cross’, a work created in the Maasland region in the period around 1160-70. Schinkel here explores both the sheer breadth of Beuth’s collection, which evidently included the sacred art of Northern Europe, and the collector’s interest in old manufacturing techniques, such as the processes used for champlevé and gilding.