Striking example of English 18th century print making, this is John Evan's edition of Gerhard Schott's remarkable three-dimensional model of Solomon's Temple, which has come to be known as the Hamburg Temple Model.
The Hamburg Temple model was a remarkably large and intricate Baroque-style architectural representation of the Temple of Solomon. Currently housed in the Hamburg Museum, the model is approximately 130 square feet. This wooden model features a square layout with four wings and nine courtyards, two of which align along the central axis.
The model was commissioned between 1692 and 1698 by Gerhard Schott (1641-1702), a Hamburg senator and notable patron of the arts, best known for founding the Oper am Gänsemarkt. Schott’s commission represents one of the many attempts during the Renaissance and Baroque periods to reconstruct the Temple of Solomon based on scholarly interpretations of ancient texts.
The Hamburg model follows the design principles laid out by the Spanish Jesuit Juan Bautista Villalpando in 1604, whose work was grounded in a detailed interpretation of the Third Temple described in the Book of Ezekiel. Villalpando's vision, with its blend of religious and architectural symbolism, became a significant influence in Europe, inspiring a tradition of models and prints aimed at visualizing the biblical temple. While the exact motivation behind Schott’s expensive and complex model remains unclear, one compelling theory suggests it was intended as a preparatory design for the 1692 opera The Destruction of Jerusalem, a two-part production featuring a libretto by Christian Heinrich Postel.
Initially exhibited at the Hamburg Opera, the model changed ownership several times after Schott’s death. It was sold in London in 1717, where it was displayed from 1724 to 1731, attracting attention for its craftsmanship and religious significance. In 1732, the model was acquired by Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, and brought to Dresden, where it was integrated into a collection of Jewish ceremonial art. The model passed through various collections before finally returning to Hamburg, where it has been preserved since 1910.
The model’s history is marked by several restoration campaigns, the most recent concluding in 2015, which addressed the challenge of dealing with toxic preservatives used in previous restorations. Over the centuries, the model has served as both a devotional and artistic object, influencing Masonic Lodge practices in the 18th and 19th centuries and inspiring prints and engravings in both Europe and America. The enduring fascination with Schott’s model, as evidenced by its representation in print catalogues and American Masonic lodges, underscores its significance as a symbol of the Temple of Solomon’s enduring legacy in Western art and thought.
Extremely rare, we were unable to trace a single copy in OCLC.