
U.D. Metzger – Handschrift eines Hinterglasmalers. Digitale Edition, Kommentar und Werkverzeichnis
The manuscript of Ulrich Daniel Metzger documents the life of the glazier and reverse glass painter from Speyer between 1708 and 1715. The small book, which in addition to drawings, rhymes and dedications also contains around 90 paint recipes, gives an insight into the work, knowledge and skills of the versatile and widely travelled artist. This website provides an annotated edition of the manuscript and the paint recipes it includes, a catalogue raisonné, textual sources and several essays on the significance of Metzger's book as well as on the career, the social and artistic environment and the self-image of this multifaceted personality. The contents of the website, which are the result of a four-and-a-half-year research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, are not only shedding light on the living conditions and the social and economic position of an individual, but also on those of a group of artists hitherto neglected by art history, who – whether out of economic necessity or in order to further their education – travelled through Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries seeking a livelihood. The paint recipes provide valuable information on the techniques, materials and tools used in glass and reverse glass painting and other arts practiced during the Baroque period.
Abstract
The data set contains the annotated edition of Ulrich Daniel Metzger's manuscript including the paint recipes therein, a glossary, an index of Metzger's travel stages, a catalogue raisonné, an index of persons and places, research texts, other written sources by and on Metzger as well as information on the project (project partners, contact, imprint).