Paul Decker (1677-1713) was one of the most exuberant exponents of the German baroque. He first studied in Berlin under the architect Andreas Schluter and later returned to his native Nuremberg, where he became architect of Salzbach in Bavaria, later to the court at Beyreuth where his influence may be seen in Ranz’s Hermitage built between 1715 and 1718. His most grandiose fantasies never proceeded beyond the design stage but are preserved in the book entitled ‘Fuerstlicher Baumeister oder Architectura Civilis’ from which this engraving came. Berlin Cat. (1939) 1990; Fowler (1961) 97.