Catafalque

Pfeffel employed traditional copper‑plate engraving, using fine incised lines to model volume and depth. Cross‑hatching and stippling create tonal variation that makes the stone and metal surfaces appear three‑dimensional, while the precise linear perspective guides the viewer’s eye up the stepped arrangement toward the central casket.

Created in 1740, the print served as a visual proposal for a real catafalque, a common practice whereby designers presented detailed engravings to patrons before construction. The work is catalogued among Pfeffel’s architectural prints and remains in the collection of a European museum dedicated to printmaking.

During the mid‑1700s, elaborate funeral architecture reflected the Baroque and early Rococo fascination with theatricality and spectacle. Engravings like Catafalque functioned as both design tools and records of transient ceremonial structures, preserving their visual impact beyond the brief period of use.

Pfeffel’s engraving exemplifies the role of print media in disseminating architectural concepts across courts and workshops. It offers contemporary scholars insight into the planning processes behind temporary monumental works and the aesthetic priorities of eighteenth‑century commemorative practices.