Poem on Mathew Buckinger [sic], The Greatest German Living
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.This long and poetic broadside celebrates Buchinger as “The Greatest German Living” in rhyming verse. Filled with puns, the poem recounts his cleverness and dexterity and notes, “Thus he with double Art can write / At once to please and cheat the Sight.” Shown above in a crude woodcut, Buchinger appears to be on stage, perched on his generous pillow, between an oboe and a trumpet. He is said not only to have played traditional instruments but to have invented some of his own for the amusement of his clientele.
Artwork Details
- Title: Poem on Mathew Buckinger [sic], The Greatest German Living
- Dedicatee: Matthias Buchinger (German, Ansbach 1674–1739)
- Artist: Anonymous, German, 18th century
- Date: 1726
- Medium: Woodcut and letterpress
- Dimensions: Sheet: 7 7/8 × 11 3/4 in. (20 × 29.8 cm)
Framed: 9 1/2 × 14 in. (24.1 × 35.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Collection of Ricky Jay
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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