Design for Domed Ceiling for Mme Païva's Chateau at Neudeck

This beautiful design combines various 16th century ornaments in a monumental domed ceiling. It was designed by the Parisian architectural firm Lachaise and Gourdet which specialized in the interior decoration of upper-class houses and palaces from the 1840s until the last quarter of the 19th century. The design was part of their commission for the illustrious courtesan known as ‘La Paiva’ who had worked her way up in society through several advantageous marriages. Her last husband, Count Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, who was 11 years her junior and one of the richest men of his day, owned the Castle Neudeck, known as ‘Little Versailles’ where they moved from Paris in 1877, and where she spent the last years of her life. Several designs by Lachaise and Gourdet for the castle survive, all executed in different Renaissance styles. This particular one is exceptional, for it shows two different options for the decoration of the dome which had to be decided on by the Count and Countess. Which one was chosen is difficult to ascertain as the castle was completely destroyed during World War II.