Wien, Alsergrund, Schwarzspanierstraße 15, Wohnung von Ludwig van Beethoven, Schlaf- und Klavierzimmer - lavierte Federzeichnung von Johann Nepomuk Hoechle von 1827, Fotografie, um 1920

Shortly after Beethoven's death, painter and lithograph Johann Nepomuk Hoechl visited the composer's dwelling. On that occasion, he drew a pen drawing of Beethoven's living room. Following Hoechle's draft, an etching and a coloured lithography were made and published between 1827 and 1832. Together with the original drawing they constitute one of the most relevant sources for the reconstruction of Beethoven's death room.

Hoechle's drawing shows the room from about the same angle the dying Beethoven had from his bed. The door that linked the dining room with the living room can be seen on the left side. One of the two piano fortes stands in front of the door, covered with piles of paper and sheet music. The second instrument, which the composer had borrowed from Conrad Graf, is not depicted. It may already have been removed from the flat when Hoechle made his drawing. The draft also shows a bookcase between the windows, a piece of furniture that Beethoven's friend Gerhard von Breuning mentioned in his Beethoven memories. The bust on the right windowsill, however, is a figment of the painter's imagination.(S.B.)