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.
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 …
signed and dated 1759 – Zurich, Leonhard Locher – Faience with painting in 'high temperature' pigments, height 315 cm, width 93 cm, depth 144 cm – Inv. 1909.296.
Leonhard Locher (1695-1766), president of the Zurich potters' guild, delivered several …
Winterthur, end 17th century – Faience with painting in 'high temperature' pigments – height 27.5 cm, width 22 cm, depth 22.7 cm – Inv. 1923.42.
The ceramics factories at Winterthur, in which table and oven ceramics were produced from …
dated 1682(7?) Winterthur, Abraham Pfau Faience with painting in 'high temperature' pigments, height 285 cm – Inv. 1895.13.
The majority of the large faience tower stoves made in Switzerland for upper-middle class …
Hoechst, wheel mark in underglaze blue, ca. 1755 – Porcelain, on glaze painting and gilding – height 35.3 cm – Inv. 1948.710.
A comparable vase in the Historisches Museum in Frankfurt am Main has two merry putti …
Durlach, no mark, ca. 1770-75 – Faience, painting in 'high temperature' pigments, height 22.2 cm – Inv. 1922.17.
In Basle, where many objects of the applied arts are known by French names, this object is …
Strasbourg, Joseph Hannong, IH mark, mould number 43, ca. 1764/70 – Faience, on glaze painting and gilding – diameter 24 cm – Inv. 1991.250.
Around 1765 the Paul Hannong factory produced a service for Cardinal Louis César-Constantin …
Strasbourg, Paul Hannong, ca. 1748 50 – Faience with on glaze painting in enamel colours – height 25 cm, base 16.5 x 11 cm – Inv. 1991.203.
Like all the model stoves from Strasbourg in the collection this is a unique piece. The …
Basle, Tonwarenfabric Allschwil, ca. 1884 – Faience with painting in 'high temperature' pigments, height 51.7 cm, width 42 cm, depth 7 cm – Inv. 1986.140.
The Winterthur type of tower stove did not become established in Basle and its …
Zurich, ca. 1735/40 – Faience with painting in 'high temperature' pigments – height 329 cm, width 101 cm, depth 132 cm – Inv. 1895.14.
The stove comes from Zurich, from the Burghof at no. 5 Froschaugasse. Although its painted …
Zizenhausen, Anton Sohn, after 1835 – Clay, made in a mould, fired and painted, height 16 cm, length of base 16 cm – Inv. 1983.130.
Painted terracotta Zizenhausen figures, of which the Museum owns numerous groups and single …
Zurich/Schooren – Z mark with 3 points in underglaze blue, ca. 1775 – Porcelain, on glaze painting and gilding – diameter 23 cm – Inv. 1932.312.
During a dispute over the use of the Zürichsee, delegates from Zurich had lodged in the …
Strasbourg, probably workshop of Fransois-Paul Acker, putti probably by Johann Wilhelm Lanz, probably decorated in the workshop of Paul Hannong, ca. 1755 60 – Faience with on glaze painting in enamel colours and gilding – height 310 cm, width 117 cm, depth 65 cm – Inv. 1921.267.
This tiled stove from the estate of the mayor of Basle Johannes Ryhiner, who lived at the …
Strasbourg, probably workshop of François-Paul Acker, probably decorated in the workshop of Paul Hannong, mid 18th century – Faience with on glaze camaieu painting in enamel colours – height 290 cm, width 96 cm, depth to wall ca. 118cm – Inv. 1971.316.
This splendid stove from the Reinacherhof at St. Johanns Vorstadt 3 in Basle, belonging to …
Paul Hannong factory, painter probably Francois Antoine Anstett, mid 18th century – Faience with on glaze painting in enamel colours – height 32.5 cm, width 12.5 cm – Inv. 1949.357.
The model shows a type of stove that was most commonly built in German regions and Vienna. …
Basle, 15th century – Coarse clay (grog), design impressed and reworked – height 26.5 cm, width 79 cm, depth 7.5 cm – Inv. 1928.36.
The unicorn, like the basilisk, is one of the fabulous beasts that feature in the imagery …
Frechen, 3rd quarter 16th century – Stoneware – height 24 cm – Inv.1898.81.
The "Bartmannkrüge aus rheinischem Steinzeug" (bearded men jugs of Rhenish stoneware), …
Zurich/Schooren, mid 18th century – Faience, overglaze painting – length 19.5 cm, diameter ca. 13.5 cm, height 5.8 cm – Inv. 1896.76.
Little has been written on the history of hygienic utensils. At the time they were used …
Strasbourg, Paul Hannong, no mark, ca. 1735/48 – Faience with mixed technique of painting, 'high temperature' pigments and on glaze with enamel colours – height 16 cm – Inv. 1986.310.
This piece of hors d'oeuvre tableware, which has no known parallel, may have been part of a …
Hanau (no mark), ca. 1700 – Faience, painting in 'high temperature' pigments, diameter 37.8 cm – Inv. 1928.709.
This dish from the early period of the Hanau factory gives no hint of the decoration and …
Strasbourg, workshop of Luc (Lukas) Walter II, ca. 1810-15 – Faience – height 230 cm, width 90 cm, depth without junction 97.5 cm – Inv. 1930.238.
This elegant architectural stove formerly stood on the first floor of a private house at …
Strasbourg, Paul Hannong, painter probably François Antoine Anstett, mid 18th century – Faience with on glaze painting in enamel colours and cold gilding – height 33 cm, base 13 x 17.7 x 13 cm – Inv. 1975.96.
This peculiar hybrid is more of a corner fireplace than a tiled stove, as it is heated from …
Basle, 1st half 18th century – Earthenware, stencilled pattern, height 20 cm, length 29 cm, depth 12.6 cm – Inv. 1928.108.
This model represents the simple type of tiled stove that was used for heating smaller …
Sarreguemines, stamp in brown CHINA SARREGUEMINES, ca. 1880/90 – Fine stoneware, transfer printing, on glaze painting and gilding – diameter 39.8 cm – Inv.1991.66.
The rise of trade and industry fairs and world exhibitions that were such a characteristic …
Zurich/Schooren, Z mark with 2 points in underglaze blue, scratchmarks, ca. 1773 – Porcelain, on glaze painting and gilding – height 14 cm – Inv. 1894.269.
One response to the ideas of the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (Geneva 1712-1778 …
dated 1712, Basle – Earthenware, coated in slip, sgraffito decoration, transparent green glaze – height 29 cm, base 16 x 13.5 cm – Inv. 1928.291.
This small tower stove is a miniature version of the type of stove required by the guild of …
signed and dated 1773 – Muri, potter Michael Leontius Küchler, painter Caspar Wold – Faience with painting in 'high temperature' pigments – height (without vase) 320 cm, length 210 cm, width 117 cm – Inv.1895.15.
This mighty stove once occupied the hall of the powerful Benedictine abbey at Muri, whence …
Basle, attributed to Walter Böcklin Müller, ca. 1850 – Faience – height 33.5 cm (of cladding 28.5 cm), diameter of top 20.3 cm – Inv. 1966.7.
Stoves for private houses in the Biedermeier period were typically cylindrical, fluted and …
Elgg, Mantel Keramik AG, 1943(?) Coarse clay (grog), underglaze drawing – height 23.5 cm, width 23.5 cm, depth 6 cm – Inv. 1992.8.
When the Swiss secured their borders in 1943, although it led to grave difficulties, …
Basle(?), Peter Hartlieb, 15th century – Relief tile, light slip coating, transparent green glaze, height 24.5 cm, width 25 cm – height of image 24.5 cm, width 16 cm – Inv. 1963.260.
When lift shafts were being dug in the Museum fur Völkerkunde in the Augustinergasse tiles …
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