The goldsmith and art dealer Johann Karl Bossard (1846–1914) is regarded as one of the key figures of Historicism in Switzerland. This publication focuses for the first time on not only the workshop’s exceptional production and signature style but also the appropriation and adaptation of historical paradigms as well as Bossard’s international network. The production of jewellery, cutlery, weapons, and commissions for the Church are particularly explored in further detail. In addition, an overview is also given of the production by the successors of the Bossard goldsmithing atelier, extant until 1997. The approximately 500 images lend an impression of the immense workshop legacy, which is preserved by the Swiss National Museum. Moreover, key objects from public and private collections are published for the first time and presented in a comprehensive catalogue section.


Text in German.