Jo­hann Mel­chi­or Wyrsch. Por­traits of wo­men

Johann Melchior Wyrsch (1732–1798) is one of the most important representatives of 18th century portrait painting in Switzerland. Bourgeois and noble ladies and gentlemen from central Switzerland, Solothurn, Besançon and the Franche-Comté region commissioned portraits from him. The historical sources provide much more information about the lives of the men portrayed than about the women, who are often only known by their names and social status as wives. An astonishing exception is the painter's wife, Maria Barbara Wyrsch-Keyser. In an important contemporary source, she is described as a clever woman. Since the middle of the 19th century, however, wild rumors have been circulating about a failed marriage with an ugly, uneducated and greedy wife. A newly discovered court document, historical research into marriage law and comparisons with other portraits of women by Wyrsch and his contemporaries straighten out the picture and give an idea of the reasons for this insult. Johann Melchior Wyrsch was born in Buochs in 1732 and received his education in Lucerne and Einsiedeln. In 1753 and 1754 he worked in Rome and Naples. After returning to Nidwalden, he married the patrician Maria Barbara Keyser in 1761. The couple settled in Besançon in 1768 and Wyrsch founded a painting and sculpture academy there. After successful years as a portrait painter and as director of the academy, Wyrsch returned to Switzerland and took over the management of the new municipal drawing school in Lucerne in 1784. In 1798 he was shot in Buochs during the French invasion. The exhibition in the Nidwalden Museum Winkelriedhaus shows portraits of women by Johann Melchior Wyrsch from his own collection and from private collections. It will open on June 21, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. in the Nidwalden Museum Winkelriedhaus and will run until September 29, 2024.