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Ten Commandments, Bath

1717
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
The first Buchinger drawing to enter the collection of Ricky Jay, this small souvenir sheet meant quite a lot to a young collector entranced by the magical micrography of the Little Man of Nuremberg. It was executed just after his move from France to Britain in 1717 and announces Matthias by his English name, Matthew. Made in Bath, which along with Oxford was one of the first places Buchinger visited, it depicts the Ten Commandments (a common theme for the artist) and may have been prepared in advance and individualized as a remembrance of the fair or event where it was purchased. Like that in the French version, which does not include an architectural framework for the text and objects of faith, the micrography includes the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ten Commandments, Bath
  • Artist: Matthias Buchinger (German, Ansbach 1674–1739)
  • Date: 1717
  • Medium: Pen and ink on vellum
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 4 1/4 × 5 1/4 in. (10.9 × 13.3 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Collection of Ricky Jay
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints