The colorful life of Angelo Soliman ends at the Metropolitan

30/7/25 - Acquisition – New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art - The Metropolitan Museum in New York recently acquired, from dealer Allan Chinn, a rare object due to its material characteristics and iconography. It is a wax medallion on slate by Johann Martin Bückle, very likely depicting Angelo Soliman (ill.1).

Johann Martin Bückle worked for the wealthy patricians of the city of Augsburg, for whom he produced bust portraits. However, it was for his medals that his talent was most widely recognized. Appointed court medallist at the Durlach Mint in 1786, he became its mint-master from 1798 to 1803. He was also a member of the Augsburg Academy of Arts. Surprisingly, in 1802 he created commemorative medals of Bonaparte’s victories at Marengo and Hohenlinden, which led to the Treaty of Lunéville that the Austrians were forced to sign.

The portrait he made of Angelo Soliman is typical of late eighteenth-century taste. The attire is that of the upper bourgeoisie, or even aristocracy: an elegant wig and fine lace lend him a certain grandeur. Indeed, Angelo Soliman was a regular at court, where — having received an excellent education and speaking six languages — he served as tutor to young aristocrats. He became a friend of Joseph II, and later frequented Francis, with whom he played chess. Master of ceremonies of the Masonic lodge Zur wahren Eintracht, to which he had belonged since 1782, he mingled there with intellectuals and artists, including Mozart. The latter is said to have drawn inspiration from his “brother” for…