Name of Monument:

Liebert Palace

Also known as:

Schaezlerpalais

Location:

Augsburg, Bavarian Swabia, Germany

Date:

1765–1770

Artists:

Palace architecture: Karl Albert von Lespilliez (1723–1796); execution: Johann Gottfried Stumpe (1708–1777); ballroom, design and fresco: Gregorio Guglielmi (1714–1773); stucco: Franz-Xaver Feichtmayr (1735–1803), Simpert Feichtmayr (1732–1806); wood carving: Placidus Verhelst (1727–1778)

Denomination / Type of monument:

Secular architecture (city palace)

Patron(s):

Baron Benedict Adam Liebert von Liebenhofen (1731–1810)

History:

The Augsburgian banker and silver-trader Benedict Adam Liebert von Liebenhofen (1730–1810) whose business connections were wide-reaching in international markets, commissioned the construction of the palace (1765–70 executed by local builder, Johann Gottfried Stumpe) in a prime location on the city’s main street. The occasion for the project was the ennoblement of Liebert to the rank of a Reichsritter (knight), which required an adequate, new and representative residence. For the design of his palace Liebert engaged internationally-renowned artists, as for instance, the courtly master-builder Karl Albert von Lespillez from Munich and the Roman mural painter Gregorio Guglielmi who, as a travelling artist, also worked for the imperial court in Vienna.

Description:

The shorter facade oriented towards the Maximiliansstrasse is, according to the role of the street in the cityscape, the most prominent and most visible side of the palace. There, the three-story building is structured with a small central projection which unites several stately elements, such as a broad archway, a balcony in the piano nobile and a gable with the coat-of-arms of von Liebenhofen. The building evokes a discreet splendour following the example of French Classicism. On the contrary, the long facade facing the Katharinengasse seems quite monotonous. The large ballroom (23 x 11 m) ranging over two storeys is the showpiece of the building. The rich decoration, executed entirely in the local “Augsburgian taste” Rococo style, was probably designed by Gregorio Guglielmi, who also painted the ceiling fresco. The walls are adorned with ornamentally framed panels (wood carving by Placidius Verhelst) partially filled with mirrors or paintings, as are the over-doors, which illustrate local and exotic flora and fauna. The stuccowork by the brothers Franz-Xaver and Simpert Feichtmayr is maybe the most superb element of the decoration. Especially the cornices of the upper windows, which freed from all architectural constraints, are an outstanding masterpiece. Their ornamental richness establishes a floating connection with the frame of the fresco. All in all, a masterly Rococo interior of courtly ambition.

The Schaezlerpalais, built for a rich banker, is the most important secular building in the city of Augsburg. Situated prominently in the centre of the city’s main street, its noble splendour coins the cityscape. The impressively lush interior decoration is an outstanding example of the local Rococo style, the so-called Augsburger Geschmack (Augsburgian taste). The ballroom in particular is especially large and ostentatious, even for a private palace.

How Monument was dated:

Documented in the archive; signature of the ceiling fresco, signed “1767”.

Selected bibliography:

Trepesch, C., Das Schaezlerpalais und die Deutsche Barockgalerie (ein Augsbuch 7), Augsburg 2006, pp. 13–113.
Trauchburg, G. von, Häuser und Gärten Augsburger Patrizier, Munich/Berlin 2001.
Langen, S. von, Die Fresken von Gregorio Guglielmi (tuduv-Studie Reihe Kunstgeschichte), Munich 1994, pp. 227–9.
Hagen, B. Von, Wegener-Hüssen, A., Stadt Augsburg (Denkmäler in Bayern VII.83), Munich 1994, pp. 310–13.
Dietrich, D., Aegid Verhelst 1696–1749. Ein flämischer Bildhauer in Süddeutschland, Weissenhorn 1986, pp. 166, 187.

Citation of this web page:

Hans Christian Hönes "Liebert Palace" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;BAR;de;Mon12;26;en

Prepared by: Hans Christian Hönes
Translation by: Hans Christian Hönes
Translation copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: DE3 26