Biechtstoel met Petrus - Georg Lichtensteger

A detailed eighteenth-century engraving depicting an ornate confessional booth with a bust of Saint Peter, designed by Johann Jacob Schübler.

This engraving, executed by Georg Lichtensteger after a design by Johann Jacob Schübler, depicts a highly ornate confessional booth. The composition reflects the technical precision of eighteenth-century architectural printmaking. The central structure features a seated priest within a semi-circular enclosure, flanked by kneeling figures in prayer. Above the confessional, a bust of Saint Peter serves as a symbolic guardian, complete with the keys of heaven. The print demonstrates the period's fascination with perspective and the integration of ecclesiastical furniture into grand interior spaces.

Lichtensteger employs fine, controlled lines to define the textures of the wood, the drapery of the figures, and the classical columns in the background. The work functions as both a technical study of furniture design and a religious scene. The inclusion of German text at the base provides a contemporary description of the confessional's construction and its intended utility. The balance between the human figures and the architectural elements creates a sense of spatial depth, typical of the era's interest in theatrical, staged environments. The print is a clear example of the collaboration between designers and engravers in the production of pattern books, which were used to disseminate architectural and decorative ideas across Europe during the mid-eighteenth century. The attention to detail, from the scrollwork on the confessional canopy to the subtle shading on the floor, reveals the high level of craftsmanship involved in the creation of such plates.