Copies of two magnificent paintings by Anton Felix Scheffler, which were lost during the Second World War, have returned to Książ Castle. Their reappearance in the Maximilian Hall is an important event for the monument and the entire region. One of the most important late Baroque interiors in Silesia has thus regained its former artistic integrity.
Książ in the history of the region
The Książ castle was erected at the end of the 13th century on the initiative of Prince Bolek I the Raw. Over the following centuries, it passed into the hands of various owners. The residence underwent its greatest transformation thanks to the Hochberg family, who from the 16th century gradually transformed the original fortress into a representative family estate. During World War II, the building was partially devastated by the Nazis, who carried out adaptation work in it as part of the Riese project. This was the codename for mining and construction activities between 1943 and 1945, aimed at converting the building into one of Adolf Hitler’s main headquarters. After the war, the unprotected Książ fell into further disrepair and regular conservation work did not begin until the 1960s. Today, the castle undergoes almost continuous intensive restoration.
Maximilian Hall in the castle of Książ
The Maximilian Hall is an extremely representative interior of the Książ Castle and one of the best-preserved secular examples of late Baroque decoration in Silesia. It was created in the 1830s as the central room of the estate’s Baroque wing. Its decoration consists of rich stuccowork, marble decoration and sculptural allegories. The interior is distinguished by its great height, bright colours and the former amphitheatre arrangement leading to successive salons. The hall served as a representative room and was intended to express the prestige of the Hochberg family. The full composition was completed with huge paintings by Scheffler.
Lost works of Anton Felix Scheffler
Anton Felix Scheffler created the paintings in 1732, commissioned by Konrad Ernest Maximilian von Hochberg. The canvases were almost five metres high and depicted mythological scenes related to motifs from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The first work showed Jupiter and Juno and a depiction of the seasons and stages of human life. The second, on the other hand, depicted Jupiter knocking down Saturn and the epochs of humanity. Both paintings hung above the amphilad passageways of the Maximilian Hall and were part of the iconographic programme of the Baroque wing of the castle. The works were lost at the end of the Second World War and their fate remains unknown.
The process of creating copies of images
The decision to make copies of the lost paintings was made after consultation with conservators. Printed reproductions were dispensed with in order to maintain the appropriate aesthetic level of the interior. The basis for the work was photographic documentation from 1943 by Günther Grundmann. The materials were digitally colourised by Wojciech Szponar under the supervision of Professor Andrzej Koziel. Zbigniew Jarek, an experienced painter and copyist, known for reproducing the works of the old masters, was responsible for creating the copies.
Return of the Scheffler 0images to Książ
Copies of Scheffler’s Baroque paintings hung in empty places that for 80 years had been a reminder of the lost furnishings of Książ. Their return has completed the decoration of the magnificent Maximilian Hall. The reconstruction of the works is of great value both for research into the history of the castle and for the presentation of its heritage. It is a very important stage in the ongoing restoration of the architectural pearl of Lower Silesia.
Source: Książ Castle in Wałbrzych
Read also: Architecture in Poland | History | Renovation | Palace
The Maximilian Room at Książ Castle before and after the return of the paintings. Source: Google Maps and Książ Castle in Wałbrzych
