Buchinger, Matthias | A fine example of the staple of Buchinger's repertoire

Buchinger, Matthias

Fine autograph calligraphic Ten Commandments signed ("Matthew Buchinger")

Manuscript on vellum (164 x 112 mm), Chester, 17 January 1734. Matted, framed, and glazed.

"Always on the move, exhibiting his skills and finding new markets for his work, Buchinger created this Ten Commandments during a period when he was touring the Western provinces of England. From writing samples and works of art inscribed with dates and locations, it is known that he moved between Hereford, Ludlow, Chester, and Minehead in 1734 and 1735. This miniature Decalogue may have been on hand in Buchinger’s stall at the Chester fair as an example of a common theme, which he would inscribe with the date and personalize on site" (Wordplay).

The manuscript is inscribed and signed "Chester. Janry. 17. 1734/5. This was Drawn & Written by Matthew Buchinger, born Without Hands or Feet, in Germany Jun the 3. 1674." Buchinger's "elaborate pieces, with classically rendered structures serving as decorative borders for religious texts, were the staple of his repertoire" (MB, pp. 100–101). In a pristine state of preservation.

REFERENCE:

Wordplay 77