Entitled “The Water Palace of Neptune,” this theater backdrop was designed in honor of Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg on the occasion of his coronation as King Frederick I of Prussia in 1701. The backdrop, which was geared toward the lavish tastes of this pleasure-seeking ruler, featured various hallmarks of Baroque extravagance: e.g., a stately palace, a waterfall, swans, and ornate seashells. Even though Hamburg was a bourgeois, free city, organizers clearly knew how to mount elaborate productions and offer up aristocratic excesses, when need be. Watercolor, unknown artist, 1701.