Ten Commandments and Selections from the Gospel of John
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.According to Ricky Jay, when Buchinger visited Paris, “Trade and entertainment flourished on the bridge Pont Neuf, which had opened about a century before the Little Man arrived, and a carnivalesque marketplace flourished both there and at the fairs in the vicinity.” Buchinger likely created this drawing while entertaining at the court of Louis XV and at fairs in France in 1717. This is the only extant drawing by Buchinger signed with his French nom de plume and that presents the texts in French. Its composition is greatly influenced by a near-contemporary engraving by the engraver and writing master Johann Michael Püchler, who worked in Nuremberg, creating religious scenes and portraits using calligraphic micrography. Johann
Artwork Details
- Title: Ten Commandments and Selections from the Gospel of John
- Artist: Matthias Buchinger (German, Ansbach 1674–1739)
- Medium: Pen and ink on vellum
- Dimensions: Sheet: 4 3/8 × 3 7/16 in. (11.1 × 8.8 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Collection of Ricky Jay
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints