Sebastian Walch (copper engraver)

Sebastian Walch: Self-Portrait

Sebastian Walch (born January 17, 1721 in Kempten (Allgäu) ; † March 2, 1788 ibid) was a German businessman, amateur painter and engraver .

Life

Hans Jacob Escher , Mayor of Zurich, engraved by Walch

Sebastian Walch was the son of Nadler and councilor Johannes Walch (born November 9, 1669 in Kempten; † May 12, 1748 there) and his wife Katharina Zorn, daughter of the butcher Martin Zorn. Around 1736 he began a commercial apprenticeship at a silk factory in Zurich , after which he worked as an accountant in Zurich for eight years. After the death of his father, he returned to Kempten, married Magdalena Kohler on November 2, 1750 and ran his own business until 1753. Then he worked for thirteen years in the company of Johann Adam Kesel. During this time he was also a councilor and judge in Kempten. In 1767 he took over the management of the calico factory from Johann Heinrich Schüle in Heidenheim an der Brenz , but returned to Kempten in 1768/69. There he joined Johann Jakob Jenisch's company, where he worked until 1786.

From his marriage four daughters and the son Johann Walch (1757-1815) were born. He became a miniature painter and took over a copper engraving publisher in Augsburg and expanded it into a map publisher.

Artistic activity

Title copper for Walch's portraits of the mayors of Zurich, drawn by Gottfried Eichler the Elder. J. and engraved by T. Laub

In Zurich he seems to have been in contact with the painter Johann Caspar Füssli , who may have been his teacher in painting. His self-portrait comes from his time in Zurich, the only painting he has known so far.

Probably also during his time in Zurich he began his best-known work, the book he edited and provided with a foreword and text with 60 portraits of all Zurich mayors from 1336 to 1742. The portraits are based on models that Johann Caspar Füssli based on originals in the Zürcher Stadtbibliothek drew back and the Walch himself and Valentin Daniel Preissler stabbed in a mock manner. For the “title copper”, Walch used a sheet engraved by Tobias Laub after Gottfried Eichler .

Copper engravings of his father Johannes Walch, Johann Elias Ridinger and Johann Adam Kesel are also known .

literature

• Georg Kaspar Nagler : New General Artist Lexicon or news of the life and works of painters, sculptors, builders, engravers, form cutters, lithographers, draftsmen, medalists, ivory workers, etc. Volume 21, Verlag EA Fleischmann, Munich 1851, p. 87 ( Digitized version ).
• Heinrich Appenzeller: Walch, Sebastian . In: Schweizerisches Künstler-Lexikon Volume 3, Frauenfeld 1913, pp. 418–419 ( digitized version ).
• Albert Haemmerle: The Walch family of painters from Kempten - Augsburg. In: Viertel-Jahreshefte zur Kunst und Geschichte Augsburgs 2, 1936/37, pp. 181–201, here pp. 182–188.
• Walch, Sebastian . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of fine artists from antiquity to the present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 35 : Libra-Wilhelmson . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1942, p. 68 .

Web links

Commons : Sebastian Walch  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

1. ↑ 1936 owned by Mrs. Hermine Walch, President of the District Court, Augsburg; Albert Haemmerle: The Walch family of painters from Kempten - Augsburg. In: Viertel-Jahreshefte zur Kunst und Geschichte Augsburgs 2, 1936/37, pp. 184-185 with illustration.
2. ↑ Copper engraved portrait of his son based on a model by Johann Caspar Fuessli: Peter Mortzfeld ( arr .): Catalog of graphic portraits in the Herzog-August-Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel. 1500-1850 . KG Saur, Munich 1994/2004, ISBN 978-3-598-32099-6 , Volume 26, p. 303 No. A 23188 (illustration); Volume 37, p. 121 No. A 23188 (text); Digitized .
3. ↑ Portraits of all gentlemen burger masters, The excellent republique, city and suburbs of Zurich From the 1336th bit to the 1742th year, brought in copper at their own expense, and given out . Kempten 1756 ( digitized version ).