Ten Commandments, London, December 3, 1730

1730

Not on view

The largest and most ornate of Buchinger’s Ten Commandments framed by architectural elements, this sheet is part of a group of extraordinary drawings the artist executed in Scotland and England in about 1730. Buchinger was by then already known as “The Greatest German Living.” This outsized demonstration piece cannot be tied to a patron and may have served, as Ricky Jay speculates, as an exemplar of Buchinger’s artistry to be kept in his stall when he was performing in public spaces. The magnificent calligraphic micrography, visible in the roundels between the tablet of Moses, the decorated initials, and the architectural ornament, exemplifies his artistic practice.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Ten Commandments, London, December 3, 1730
Artist: Matthias Buchinger (German, Ansbach 1674–1739)
Date: 1730
Medium: Pen and ink on vellum
Dimensions: 14 1/2 in. × 21 in. (36.8 × 53.3 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Ricky Jay, 2015
Object Number: 2015.699.1
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Matthias Buchinger

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Calligraphic Trompe-l'œil Calendar, Matthias Buchinger German, Pen and red, brown, and black ink, brush and gray wash — Calligraphic Trompe-l'œil Calendar
Matthias Buchinger
1709

Clarinet in D, Boxwood, brass, German — Clarinet in D
German
1750–70

Design for a Wall Monument, Francesco di Giorgio Martini Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, blue gouache, on vellum — Design for a Wall Monument
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
ca. 1490

Coat of Arms of the Duke of Gordon, Edinburgh, Matthias Buchinger German, Pen and ink — Coat of Arms of the Duke of Gordon, Edinburgh
Matthias Buchinger
1723

Priming Flask with Sundial and Compass, Brass, gold, silver, steel, German, probably Nuremberg — Priming Flask with Sundial and Compass
German, probably Nuremberg
late 16th century

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