Schloss Schönnbrunn - Johann Wenzel Bergl

Crown Prince Apartment, suite of rooms with exotic and native landscapes.

 Walls and ceilings at the Schloss Schönnbrunn palace in Austria are covered in wild and exotic landscapes, commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa and executed by Johann Wenzel Bergl around 1766.

In 4 garden rooms on the ground floor of Schönbrunn palace Bohemian Baroque painter Johann Wenzl Bergl (1718-1783) expressed Empress Maria Theresia’s fondness for exotic art, her longing for an idyllic world far away from the court´s etiquette and for Rousseau´s “back to nature” philosophy. In his “Indian landscapes” he mixed three-dimensionality with wild, untamed nature. His fantastic frescos bring India to Schönbrunn; the walls are decorated with palm trees and exotic plants, colorful parrots fly under tropic skies. These wall paintings, which were created around 1777, were rediscovered under a layer of paint in the year 1891. They are a document of the Habsburgs´ interest in exploring foreign cultures. Bergl modelled his paintings on exact drawings of the exotic fauna and flora discovered on scientific expeditions. via rococo revisited

I love how over the top these walls are. The whole history of wall design seems to be encompassed in there, from the triumph of ornamental design around the doors and trimmings, to the adventure panoramique that was popular at the time. 

detail

Kronprinzenappartement

Goess Apartment, the summer apartments of Empress Maria Theresa