Matthias Buchinger (1674-1739) was a German artist and magician who was born without hands or feet. You can find one of his remarkable pieces on display in our museum.
A gold ring inscribed with the lord’s prayer by Mattias Buchinger, 1730. © The Harley Foundation.
History has a way of glorifying Buchinger. He was a hustler, a womaniser, and a master of many feats. He pushed the limits of his disability to achieve great fame.
While this reputation was well earned, if we look closer at Buchinger’s story, we find that behind all his success was a man scrambling to be seen.
Early Life
Portrait of Matthias Buchinger by Matthias Buchinger, 1724. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Buchinger was born in 1674 to parents who were ashamed of his disability. Supposedly, they were so “distressed at his unusual form” that they “concealed him as much as possible”.
His parents even prepared him for a life in hiding, working a humble desk job.
As the youngest of 9 children, all-abled bodied, the efforts taken to seclude Buchinger must have hurt him greatly. So, it is unsurprising that he made little effort to record his childhood.
In fact, Buchinger omitted his parents and siblings from his family tree (see here).
Buchinger is thought to have started performing in his 20s, once his parents died. Fleeing his past and the future in the shadows they had set out for him, Buchinger began to pursue a life in the spotlight.
Buchinger in the Portland Collection
His stage persona emerged in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries when he travelled Europe exhibiting his medley of talents. Among Buchinger’s many gifts was his skill in calligraphy, which he could practice on a microscopic scale. He used his talent to create this ring (see below).
A gold ring inscribed with the lord’s prayer by Mattias Buchinger, 1730. On the reverse an inscription reads, ‘This was written by Matthew Birchinger without hands or feet in germ. 1730’. ©The Harley Foundation.
The ring is inscribed with the entirety of the Lord’s Prayer. Buchinger manages to fit the 54 words upon it, as if by magic. This is an exceptional feat as the stone is just under 2 centimetres wide.
The piece may have been purchased by Edward Harley, the Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, which would explain its presence in our collection. It was likely a tribute to his father, Robert Harley, who was a patron of Buchinger before he passed.
In Buchinger’s letters to Robert, he was very eager to create pieces for him. He offered to copy and illustrate books, carve little wooden models, and make moving scenes in glass bottles just for him.
These were but a few of the arts that Buchinger had mastered.
Jack-of-all-Trades
The souvenir print below outlines the breadth of Buchinger’s skillset. At his exhibitions, Buchinger would draw portraits, bowl, fire pistols, play a dulcimer, shave himself, and thread a needle. He even performed disappearing and conjuring acts, all without hands or feet.
By showcasing such a diverse repertoire, Buchinger could charm any audience member and quickly rose to fame.
Portrait of Matthias Buchinger Surrounded by Thirteen Vignettes by Elias Baeck, 1710. © The MET.
However, his position in the limelight was far from secure. In time, his feats of impossible dexterity were met with shrugs, and Buchinger’s audience began to thin. Soon, he had to add to his set lists to keep audiences interested.
Some of his new acts included grinding corn to flour, powdering his wig, playing the trumpet, bagpipe, and oboe, and dancing in a highland dress. He even practiced calligraphy, mirrored, upside-down, and on a microscopic scale, using the words to make up portraits to attract an aristocratic clientele.
It seems it was not enough that Buchinger had overcome the limitations of his disability; he had to bend over backwards to stay in the spotlight.
Ironically, any visibility he did achieve only hindered him. In a letter to the Palatine commissioners, Buchinger lamented his fame, which meant that he was “no longer a novelty” and had to plead for money to support himself and his family. It is clear that, in his time, Buchinger was not appreciated for his genius and was viewed as little more than a cheap and disposable thrill.
While it is easy to glorify Buchinger as someone who pushed the boundaries of his body to prosper in the public eye, his life was not so simple. Buchinger spent a lifetime jumping through hoops to arrest the attention of his dwindling audience.