Museumsportal Berlin

In 1768, King Frederick the Great made the decision to have the Orangery converted into a guest palace. Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff had erected this building near the Sanssouci Palace 20 years previously. The conversion began in 1771, under the direction of Georg Christian Unger, at which time the interiors received the rich, Rococo décors that have remained intact to this day.
What awaits the visitor in the "New Chambers" - as the palace was known thereafter - is a succession of elaborately decorated ceremonial halls and private suites, designed by the leading artists of Frederick the Great´s era. The rectangular-shaped Jasper Hall at the center of the palace, decorated with precious stones, is a highlight amongst the series of rooms. It is crowned by a large painting on the ceiling with a representation of Venus, referring to 18th century ideals of beauty. In the adjacent Ovid Gallery, scenes from the Roman poet Ovid´s "Metamorphosis" - a favorite theme of Frederick the Great - are depicted in sumptuously gilded wall reliefs.