In “The Palm House,” German Realism master Karl Blechen (1798 – 1840) reproduces a dense plant collection resembling an exotic, primitive forest. This huge hothouse, owned by King Frederick William III of Prussia, was the first of its size in Germany, and the prototype for the country’s future hothouses. It melded the building style of the orangeries with the broad, simple shapes of Classicism. The King’s palm house contained the largest plants of any of the era’s gardens. In this piece, Blechen captured the breathtaking, majestic effect created by the combination of enormous architectural and plant forms.