"ENLIGHTENED ADORATION"

Art, Amitie, and Enlightenment in the Temple of Friendship at Sanssouci

This paper explores the intersections between women, art, and idealized friendship within the Temple of Friendship in Sanssouci, Germany. The Temple of Friendship was built in 1768 by Frederick the Great to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of his eldest sister Wilhelmine's death. This research examines the Temple of Friendship within the context of 18th-century understandings of friendship, including other temples of friendship, and presentations of women in art and sculpture to understand the significance of Frederick's portrayal of Wilhelmine. Previous scholarship as focused on Wilhelmine as a symbol or personification as an aspect of Frederick's beliefs rather than as a statement about their sibling relationship. In previous Prussian histories, Wilhelmine has been presented as unreliable and hysterical, based chiefly of her Memoirs. This paper intends to examine Wilhelmine's portrayal in the Temple of Friendship within common theories of friendship from classical and enlightenment philosophers who would have been known to Frederick to gain insight into how Wilhelmine measures up as an ideal platonic companion. To this end, this paper will then contextualize Wilhelmine's sculpture within the temple by examining other notable portrayals of 18th-century women such as Madame de Pompadour and Emilie du Chatelet.