The return of the pictures

It was only discovered in the 20th century that two of these paintings were by Artemisia Gentileschi. The Prussian king had presumably acquired the works without knowing that they were created by a woman. Today, they are the focus of growing art-historical interest in Gentileschi's work, which had long been attributed to male artists.


The Baroque paintings by Guido Reni and Luca Giordano, also part of the gallery, have been little researched and largely unknown to the public. Today, they are among the central pieces in the collection.


Over the past six years, the paintings and their original frames have been extensively restored. This was made possible by financial support from third-party donors such as the Museum Barberini, the Rudolf August Oetker Foundation and the Annemarie Hilgemann Foundation. The restoration not only brought back the original splendor of color, but also important new insights into the painting techniques and materials.


In particular, the works of Artemisia Gentileschi were intensively examined in terms of art technology. The analyses provided detailed information on her individual style and made it possible to reclassify and date the works within her overall oeuvre. The two paintings exhibited in Potsdam originally came from the famous collection of the noble Farnese family and are among the few surviving works by Gentileschi in Germany.


The works by Guido Reni and Luca Giordano also tell exciting stories: Reni, one of the most sought-after painters of his time, developed his own idealizing style with great clarity of color and form from the Carracci's surroundings. Giordano, known as "Luca fa presto" because of his fast and virtuoso way of working, was active throughout Europe - his works bear witness to a world-class Baroque painter.


The other viewThe route through the New Palace to the Upper Gallery leads past numerous depictions in which painters and sculptors focus on the female body. At seven stations, questions draw attention to the particular view that the artists based their pictures on. The paintings in the Upper Gallery are also viewed from this perspective, complementing the exploratory gaze of the restorers and the natural scientist.


A new tour in the SPSG app "SANSSOUCI" provides in-depth information about the room and the paintings. Using your own smartphone on site, you can call up background information on the magnificently decorated rooms of the New Palace. The app can be downloaded free of charge.