The sitter was a silk ribbon manufacturer, a member of the board of directors of the merchants, a lord of thirteen, as well as a deputy to the post office. He was the uncle of Johann Rudolf Burckhardt, the builder of the Haus zum Kirschgarten (see portrait on the right). The sitter wears the black robe with the pleated ruff, lace cuffs and gloves as well as the rapier prescribed for councilmen, clergymen and professors. A diamond ring and the upholstered furniture covered with silk damask are attributes of the noble class.