Objekt 1
Group portrait of the family Peter and Anna Burckhardt-Forcart
Description
The interior painting depicts in detail the domestic occupations of the Burckhardt-Forcart family: the two older children are playing music, two smaller ones are playing with shells and other natural objects. The parents are sitting at the tea table. A copper samovar and various parts of a tea set can be seen on the table. Whether this is made of earthenware or porcelain is hard to decide. It is interesting to see how Anna Burckhardt-Forcart drinks her tea: She poured the liquid into the saucer for faster cooling.
The family depicted belonged to the upper class of Basel: Peter Burckhardt-Forcart was a merchant, silk ribbon manufacturer and holder of important political offices. Later he was also mayor and in 1812 Landammann of Switzerland.
Object description
Painter: Joseph Johann Kauffmann (1707-1782)
Basel, dated 1775
Oil painting on canvas
Bequest Rev. Dr. h.c. Wilhelm Bernoulli Prize Work, Greifensee
Inv. 1991.174.