Buchinger, Matthias | The only extant Buchinger calligraphy written and signed in French

Buchinger, Matthias

Fine autograph micro-calligraphic Ten Commandments, with the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and Selections from the Gospel of John signed ("Mathieu Bouchingre") 

Manuscript on vellum (108 x 67 mm), France, ca. 1717. Tipped to a mat board and matted.

The only extant Buchinger calligraphic work written and signed in French.

This drawing was likely composed during Buchinger's visit to France in 1717. The most notable record of his visit at this time occurs in the account book kept for the seven-year-old King Louis XV. There appears a payment to Mathieu Bouchingre—described as a man without feet or hands—for entertaining the court of the King. During this time, Buchinger most likely also performed at the fairgrounds at Saint-Laurent and Saint-Germain, and several accounts possibly refer to him there albeit not by name.

"The text comprises his classic combination of the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, and the Ten Commandments. While the selection is not unique, this in no way diminishes the achievement. The curlicues and arabesques surrounding the three set-pieces form a particularly astonishing display of his micrographic calligraphy. Verses from the Gospel of John, they are rendered in truly tiny script. Beneath the drawing he has added a signature:" "Ce cy a esté Escrit avev La Plume Par Moy Mathieu Bouchingre allamnand denation qui est Venu au Monde sans Pieds ny mains" (MB, p. 38).

REFERENCE:

Exemplars, p. 69; MB fig. 16; Wordplay 50