Sketch of the planned tomb for the Türkenlouis on a ground floor wall in Rastatt Palace, 18th century

WALL AS SKETCHPADDESIGN FOR THE TOMB OFTHE TÜRKENLOUIS

A giant draft of Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm's tomb, drawn not on paper, but on the wall! This unusual sketch is located on the ground floor in the rooms now housing The Memorial for Freedom Movements in German History.

Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm as a lieutenant general in armor, lithograph

Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm as an officer.

REMEMBERING THE TÜRKENLOUIS

Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden-Baden died in 1707. His fame as the conqueror of the Turks remained unforgotten, including by his family: In 1723, Sibylla Augusta had the Jupiter statue erected on the palace roof, as a symbol of the war hero. His younger son, August Georg, installed the Turkish chamber in the palace in 1765 to display all the looted Turkish works. His elder son, Ludwig Georg, had honored his father a decade earlier: In 1752, on the 45th anniversary of Ludwig Wilhelm's death, he had a monument erected for his father.

Monument to Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm, collegiate church of Baden-Baden

The monument is located in Baden-Baden.

THE MONUMENT

"With the love of a son and to the glory of paternal military exploits," reads the epitaph that Ludwig Georg had inscribed on a magnificent monument. The stuccoist, Johannes Schütz, crafted it for the choir of the collegiate church in Baden-Baden where Ludwig Wilhelm is buried. Around that time, Schütz also modernized Rastatt Palace. On the ground floor of the north wing, he used an as yet uncompleted wall as a "sketch pad," likely to show Ludwig Georg his idea for the monument's design in an almost life size scale.

Lion's head, detail of the wall sketch, Rastatt Residential Palace

The lion's head on the sarcophagus.

THE DRAWING

Schütz drew his design on the wall in red chalk. Only the lower portion can be seen below the stucco. A sarcophagus and a lion's head are visible, surrounded by Rococo ornamentation and flags bearing crescent moons—a reference to his status as conqueror of the Turks. Some details changed in the implementation of the actual monument: canons, canon balls and timpani drums were added. At the center stands Ludwig Wilhelm in armor, striking a classic ruler pose. The inscription on the lion's coat commemorates his military exploits.

Cherubs in a half-shell, stucco decor above the tomb wall sketch, Rastatt Residential Palace

Two cherubs over the wall sketch.

THE STUCCOIST AND HIS TRAGIC DEATH

The stuccoist, Johannes Schütz (1704–1752), was an artist from the famous Wessobrunner School, which definitively characterized Southern German decorative arts. He and his colleagues have left distinct traces in Rastatt Palace, such as the Rococo stucco work on the ground floor and main floor. Yet shortly before concluding the work, disaster struck: In the collegiate church in Baden-Baden, Schütz fell from the scaffolding and died of his injuries. 

Stucco detail from the sala terrena
Stucco detail from the staircase
Stucco detail from above the door to the ancestral hall

Stucco by Johannes Schütz, who worked at Rastatt Residential Palace between 1747 and 1752.

The completed tomb has been preserved in the collegiate church in Baden-Baden. Both of the Türkenlouis' sons are buried there as well.

Learn more

Figures

Monuments & functions

Art & spaces

Please select a maximum of 5 keywords.