Lukas Vischer (collector) explained
Lukas Vischer (1780–1840) was an amateur artist, traveler, and collector from Basel, Switzerland. During a nine-year residence in Mexico he assembled a notable collection of ancient Mexican sculptures and ceramics. Vischer's collection eventually formed a significant part of the holdings of the Museum of Cultures Basel. It has been called one of the best European collections of pre-Columbian or Mesoamerican artifacts.
Before settling in Mexico, Vischer traveled for several years in the United States and Canada, keeping a diary and sketchbook. His 1824 portraits of Creek Indians have been of particular interest to scholars. Selections from Vischer's diary, concerning visits to Washington, D.C.,[1] and the Creek Indians,[2] have been translated into English.
References
- Book: Anders
, Ferdinand . Margarete Pfister-Burkhalter . Christian F. Feest . Christian Feest . Lukas Vischer (1780-1840), Künstler, Reisender, Sammler: Ein Beitrag zur Ethnographie der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika sowie zur Archäologie und Volkskunde Mexikos . Kommissionsverlag Münstermann-Druck . 1967 . Hanover . OCLC 7070705.
- Book: Baer
, Gerhard
. Altmexikanische Skulpturen der Sammlung Lukas Vischer, Museum für Völkerkunde Basel . Wepf . 1990 . Basel . 3-85977-094-2.
- Book: Bankmann
, Ulf
. Gerhard Baer . Ancient Mexican Ceramics from the Lukas Vischer Collection, Ethnographic Museum Basel . Friedrich Reinhardt . 1996 . Basel . 3-7245-0909-X.
Notes and References
- News: Feest . Christian F. . Lukas Vischer in the District of Columbia, 1825 . Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. . 49 . 1976 . 78–110.
- News: Collins . Robert P. . A Swiss traveler in the Creek Nation: the diary of Lukas Vischer, March 1824 . Alabama Review . 59 . 4 . October 2006 . 243–84.