The shallow dome of the interior is decorated with a ceiling fresco by Josef Ignaz Mildorfer showing scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The paintings are by Johann Michael Purgau and consist of twelve portraits of very rare animals, not all of which were in fact present in the imperial Menagerie at that time according to recent research, but which were highly desirable collector’s items. Originally painted green, the interior was refurbished shortly after 1765 on the orders of Maria Theresa as a memorial room for her late husband, with rich rocaille wooden panelling, mirrors and paintings of rare birds and animals. The bell-shaped domed roof is crowned with a continuous balustrade. In between are segmentally-arched window embrasures. The shallow projecting sections on four sides of the building have semi-circular arched doorways and pediments decorated with figures. The pavilion is elevated on an octagonal plinth and can be accessed via four entrances. The central single-storeyed pavilion, where the imperial couple occasionally took breakfast, forms the visual emphasis of the great diagonal axis connecting the centre of the palace and the pavilion. Beyond this is a pool with roosting pens for water fowl. In a lower-lying area to the west is a two-storeyed building intended as accommodation for the keepers. The back of the enclosure was formed by a ‘lodge’ or hut providing shelter for the animals at night. The individual enclosures, each with its own well, were separated from one another by high walls and from the central pavilion by railings set between pilasters and crowned by vases and groups of animals, through which the animals could be viewed.

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