French Rondel / Sanssouci Park
Twelve elegant, lifesize figures sculpted in marble encircle the great fountain at the foot of the hill at Sanssouci Palace. The exaggerated twisting of their bodies produces a tremendous sense of dynamism. The figures depict eight Roman deities as well as the four elements of water, air, earth, and fire. The sculptures stand at the intersection of the two main axes of the park, and all of them were made by French sculptors. For reasons of preservation, the statues were replaced by copies in 2002.
David von Becker
The skill of French sculptors
The first figures, those of Mercury and Venus, were installed in 1750. Frederick II had received them from the French king Louis XV in return for valuable horses. In addition, he also received two hunting groups of marble as allegories of the elements of air and water.
Frederick was a great admirer of the skill of French sculptors. He was fascinated by the flawless surface of the marble, and above all by the figures’ balanced proportions and sense of lightness as they twist in space. These works set the standard for the sculpture atelier Frederick had founded in Berlin already in 1746 and so played a key role in the development of sculpture in Brandenburg and Prussia.
The king handed over the direction of this atelier to François Gaspard Adam, the brother of the sculptor who had created the hunting groups. The studio was located in a former garden house in the Lustgarten in Berlin. All the sculptors who worked there were French, and the other eight imposing marble figures for the fountain were also made there.
David von Becker
David von Becker
From Apollo to Venus
Along with the four elements, the sculptures depict Roman gods: in addition to the figures of Venus and Mercury, there are Diana and Apollo, Juno and Jupiter, Minerva and Mars. The work on the ensemble lasted until 1764. Initially, the figures surrounded a quatrefoil-shaped basin; the large bubbling fountain was not created until 1842, when waterworks were installed in the steam engine house.
François Gaspard Adam also created the two sculptures on the upper terrace of Sanssouci: Flora with Zephyr to the east, above Frederick’s tomb, and Cleopatra with a Mourning Cupid across from it to the west. In addition, Adam also created a large number of marble portraits for the park, where they can be seen to this day, in the original or as copies.
The French Rondel in Sanssouci Park is one of the stops on the audio tour France in Potsdam, which was developed for the Barberini App on the occasion of the French Impressionists moving into the Barberini Museum. The audio tour invites you to discover around 25 stops with French influences that have helped shape Potsdam over the centuries. Simply download the free Barberini App and be surprised by the city's many French references.
