I suspect so, given that it wasn't mobile like some other interiors that were stored elsewhere. Probably melted when the Palace burned down.
someone older, notoriously prickly and not prone to mince words as Knobelsdorff also trusts and likes him (enough so to single him out in his last will), I think a case can be made of Peter being another who is good at being diplomatic
You know what I had to think of? Lehndorff's mention of Peter's "English manners". If, as Fritz says in his eulogy, Knobelsdorff regarded courtesy/social trappings ("complaisance" in the French original) as an inconvenience, he might have liked it if Peter had a more direct style perhaps.
BUT. re: confusion of Keiths. While I think the Knobelsdorff/Keith friendship is probably sound, Engel might have misattributed the letter to Peter! Because I just googled the ending phrase - "De Votre Majesté Le plus humble et plus obéissant serviteur Keith" - and found a different letter from JAMES Keith that ended exactly like that. James Keith, whom Fritz made governor of Berlin in 1749, and who therefore might have had a reason to talk about bridges with Fritz as well. It's possible that the papers in the state archive records identify Peter by more than just "Keith", but if the letter is all there is? Hm. Huge grain of salt here.
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
Well, in that case, I agree that James as the letter writer sounds more likely, but the main issue to me is the Knobelsdorff/Keith connection.
English manners: could be! It's a shame for this reason, too, that Peter died a few months after Mitchell arrived; I bet they'd have gotten along, too.
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
j’ai l’honneur d’etre avec le respect le plûs profond Sire De Votre Majesté Le plus humble et plus obeissant serviteur Keith.
Which is pretty long to be almost identical, even given 18th century formulas. I'm betting on James, then, especially if he was governor of Berlin. Alas!
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
You know what I had to think of? Lehndorff's mention of Peter's "English manners". If, as Fritz says in his eulogy, Knobelsdorff regarded courtesy/social trappings ("complaisance" in the French original) as an inconvenience, he might have liked it if Peter had a more direct style perhaps.
I like this hypothesis! Particularly if Keith, as Lehndorff indicates, was nice and friendly and not confrontational in the content of what he said, he just phrased things in an English (more direct) way. I could see Knobelsdorff getting along with someone like that. (Especially if Peter didn't tell him how to do his job. :P)
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
You know what I had to think of? Lehndorff's mention of Peter's "English manners". If, as Fritz says in his eulogy, Knobelsdorff regarded courtesy/social trappings ("complaisance" in the French original) as an inconvenience, he might have liked it if Peter had a more direct style perhaps.
Oh, I like this! I can attest that for some people direct styles are helpful *ducks* and this seems very plausible.
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Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
I suspect so, given that it wasn't mobile like some other interiors that were stored elsewhere. Probably melted when the Palace burned down.
someone older, notoriously prickly and not prone to mince words as Knobelsdorff also trusts and likes him (enough so to single him out in his last will), I think a case can be made of Peter being another who is good at being diplomatic
You know what I had to think of? Lehndorff's mention of Peter's "English manners". If, as Fritz says in his eulogy, Knobelsdorff regarded courtesy/social trappings ("complaisance" in the French original) as an inconvenience, he might have liked it if Peter had a more direct style perhaps.
BUT. re: confusion of Keiths. While I think the Knobelsdorff/Keith friendship is probably sound, Engel might have misattributed the letter to Peter! Because I just googled the ending phrase - "De Votre Majesté Le plus humble et plus obéissant serviteur Keith" - and found a different letter from JAMES Keith that ended exactly like that. James Keith, whom Fritz made governor of Berlin in 1749, and who therefore might have had a reason to talk about bridges with Fritz as well. It's possible that the papers in the state archive records identify Peter by more than just "Keith", but if the letter is all there is? Hm. Huge grain of salt here.
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
English manners: could be! It's a shame for this reason, too, that Peter died a few months after Mitchell arrived; I bet they'd have gotten along, too.
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
j’ai l’honneur d’etre avec le respect le plûs profond
Sire
De Votre Majesté
Le plus humble et plus obeissant serviteur
Keith.
Which is pretty long to be almost identical, even given 18th century formulas. I'm betting on James, then, especially if he was governor of Berlin. Alas!
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
I like this hypothesis! Particularly if Keith, as Lehndorff indicates, was nice and friendly and not confrontational in the content of what he said, he just phrased things in an English (more direct) way. I could see Knobelsdorff getting along with someone like that. (Especially if Peter didn't tell him how to do his job. :P)
Re: Manger, Knobelsdorff - and Peter Keith! -- or not?
Oh, I like this! I can attest that for some people direct styles are helpful *ducks* and this seems very plausible.