Objekt 4
Two portraits of Christian von Mechel-Haas (1737-1817) and his wife Elisabeth (1740-1786)
Description
Christian von Mechel (1737-1817) came from a wealthy Basel family of craftsmen. in 1753 he began an apprenticeship as an engraver in Nuremberg, which he continued in Augsburg and completed in Paris. in 1760 he set up his own printing and publishing business in Paris. in 1764, he returned to Basel and married Elisabeth Haas (1740-1786), the sister of the type founder and printer Wilhelm Haas the Elder (1698-1764). In Basel, von Mechel founded his own publishing house and opened the first art dealership in Switzerland.
Object description
Painter: probably Johann Nikolaus Grooth (1723-1797)
Basel, around 1765
Oil painting on canvas
Inv. 1980.5.b.