Cast iron plaquette of Susanne Maria Schorndorff Iselin

Description

Johann Carl Hedlinger (Seewen [Schwyz] 1691-1771 Schwyz) became medallist to the royal Swedish court and achieved renown for his finely characterized, life like portraits of contemporaries. About 1742 he produced a wax portrait of Susanne Maria Schorndorff Iselin which was replicated as a plaquette decades later - in 1823 - by the Königliche Eisengiesserei (royal iron casting works) in Berlin. A native of Basle, depicted here in a lace dress with her hair pinned up, in 1740 she became the wife of Johann Schorndorff (1705-1769), who when he was secretary at the embassy in Stockholm had befriended Hedlinger. From 1741 Schorndorff, now postmaster general in Basle, received many works by Hedlinger which formed the basis of his own cabinet of medals. This was extended - to include coins as well - by his descendants, some of whom were keenly interested in Hedlinger, and finally in the C20 it was absorbed into the Basle coin collection as the Schorndorff Cabinet.