Interior view
by KNOBELSDORFF, Georg Wenceslaus von, Photo
Schloss Charlottenburg in Berlin was the king’s residence and official seat. Frederick II had commissioned Knobelsdorff to undertake the enlargement of the new wing of the palace as early as 1740. A new east wing was to be added to the main building, partly as a foil to the orangery in the west wing. A graceful stairwell links the lobby with the dining room. The adjacent Golden Gallery, with its rocaille decoration, volutes, flowers and dancing putti, displays a stylish but restrained splendour, and is one of the finest Rococo banqueting halls in Europe.
The picture shows the Golden Gallery in the east wing of the palace. It was reconstructed in 1961-73 after destruction during the Second World War.