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Basel Historical Museum

Objects in the collection

Basel Historical Museum has a collection comprising over 250,000 objects. A selection of these is presented here.

The scientists, scholars and collectors of the 16th century and thereafter kept Wunderkammer full of spectacular objects and works of art. Among the treasures presented are some that originally belonged to the world-famous Amerbach Cabinet.

Discover further Swiss museum collections at Museums Online.

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Chosen Exhibits

Wildmen on a stag hunt, wall hanging

Basel, ca. 1468 – Wool tapestry, two sections each height 123–128.5 cm, width 253 cm – Inv. 1981.88.

The purchase of this tapestry from a South German collection for the 1981 reopening of the …

Portrait of Johann Rudolf Burckhardt

Anton Graff, Basle, ca. 1786 – Oil on canvas – 114.5 x 84 cm – Inv. 1976.175.

J.R. Burckhardt (1750-1813) was by profession a silk ribbon manufacturer and from 1777 held …

Cannon from the Burgundian spoils

Mechelen, dated 1474 – Jean de Malines, Mechelen Cast bronze – length 255.5 cm, calibre 22.8 cm – Inv. 1874.95.

The Basle chronicler Johannes Knebel reports that on 14 March 1476 the Basle troops brought …

Pair of duck tureens

Strasbourg, Paul Hannong, numbered on glaze I and 2, 1748 54 – Faience with painting on glaze in enamel colours – height 32.5 and 36.5 cm – Inv. 1973.76.

The Paul Hannong factory owed its success to its policy of employing potters, painters and …

Horse-Drawn Sleigh

Probably Basel, late 19th century – Woodwork and coach-building – Ironware and metalworking – H. 164 cm, W. 115 cm, L. 240 cm – Inv. 2004.159.

Self-driven horse-drawn sleighs like this one were used for the sleigh rides into Baden or …

Flemish Virginals

(Antwerp?), 1572 – At quint or octave pitch; compass C/E-a2 (without g#2) Case made of poplar painted in tempera; softwood soundboard; keytops made of bone (white keys) and bog oak (sharps); brass and steel strings – H. 17.9 x W 92.5 x D 33 cm – Inv. 1990.426.

That this instrument, which the people of Basel used to called a Spinet, is Flemish in …

Large winged altarpiece from St. Mary’s Church in Calanca (Graubünden)

Dated 1512; workshop of Ivo Strigel, Christoph Zeller and other masters, Memmingen – Linden wood, carved and painted, panel painting – H 375 cm, W 567 cm (open) Inv. 1887.95.

Mounted on a predella showing Christ with the twelve Apostles, the open altar chest …

Skeleton pocket watch

Geneva, ca. 1820 – Bordier à Genève, active in 19th century – Movement with verge escapement and quarter repeater with ding-dong chimes; hour and minute hands – Inv. 1982.1093.

This watch in a red gold case has a glass window in the lid showing the movement with …

 
Contact

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PO box | Steinenberg 4
CH-4001 Basel

Office opening hours
8:30 – 12 AM | 13:30 – 17 PM
Reception: +41 61 205 86 00
historisches.museum(at)bs.ch

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