Oil sketch for the ceiling painting the induction of ganymede in olympus. The chief changes between this sketch and the execution of the ceiling painting in the marble hall of the new palace (potsdam) (shown below) are the addition of hebe and hephaestus as well as the covering of the cartouche with a green cloth. On the cartouche here, a crown and the initials fr (fridericus rex) can be discerned. These changes were surely made at friedrich's direction. The addition of hebe has been interpreted as a nod to friedrich's beloved sister, wilhelmine. The covering of his initials was seen by contemporaries as indicative of friedrich's modesty. In greek mythology, zeus made ganymede cupbearer to the gods at olympus, supplanting hebe. Object Type: painting. Date: 1768. Dimensions: 70 x 91 cm. Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg.
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