DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.56557#0019
Introduction.
Seventy four years ago the foundation of this celebrated Collection was laid by Johann
Nikolaus Vincent, who was born in 1785 at Gressoney-St. Jean (Piedmont) and died at Constance
in 1865. He in 1816 bought the first panel of painted glass. The Vincent Collection is therefore
one of the most ancient private Collections existing, for it is well known that such amassed trea-
sures seldom remain longer than for two generations in the same family, whilst the one here
referred to belongs already to the third generation.
Concerning to the remarkable personality of the founder an intimate connaisseur of the
Collection expresses himself as follows on the Swiss portion of it :
„A word of praise, even if somewhat late, is due to this gentleman, who in the
„time of general impoverishment and stagnation which followed the Napoleonic wars, had
„preserved his lelight in objects of art, and had the courage to collect the neglected
„treasures of former centuries. Speculation could not have been the reason, for dozens
„of years after, Swiss paintings on glass were in little estimation everywhere. The
„danger of destruction of these fragile articles of art through ignorance, carelessness,
„or wantonnes was then much greater than that of .their being carried off by sales.
„Many such paintings on glass which had been removed to be replaced by common
„glass and had been thrown aside and stored in some garret or cellar, have been saved
„by the indefatigable Mr. Vincent, who as a dealer in Silk goods used to visit the
„various Swiss fairs, and have thus been preserved to a future and more appreciative
„generation. It is fortunate that this man, who was possessed of a noble soul and a
„refined taste, had specially made our Swiss paintings on glass the subject of his atten-
tion. On the whole the Collection is still what it was at the time of his death. His
„son, Mr. Joseph Vincent, who died last year has added little to it; he limited himself to
„preserving the Collection, and all he did besides was to occasionally exchange one
„article for another, but he otherwise never sold anything.“
In the „Neujahrsblatt der Zürcherischen Antiquarischen Gesellschaft für 1890“
which prints the complete Catalogue of the Swiss portion of the Vincent Collection, the celebrated
Art. Critic, Professor Dr. Rahn of Zürich, has an interesting article on the late Mr. Johann Ni-
kolaus Vincent of which we give the following abstract:
Seventy four years ago the foundation of this celebrated Collection was laid by Johann
Nikolaus Vincent, who was born in 1785 at Gressoney-St. Jean (Piedmont) and died at Constance
in 1865. He in 1816 bought the first panel of painted glass. The Vincent Collection is therefore
one of the most ancient private Collections existing, for it is well known that such amassed trea-
sures seldom remain longer than for two generations in the same family, whilst the one here
referred to belongs already to the third generation.
Concerning to the remarkable personality of the founder an intimate connaisseur of the
Collection expresses himself as follows on the Swiss portion of it :
„A word of praise, even if somewhat late, is due to this gentleman, who in the
„time of general impoverishment and stagnation which followed the Napoleonic wars, had
„preserved his lelight in objects of art, and had the courage to collect the neglected
„treasures of former centuries. Speculation could not have been the reason, for dozens
„of years after, Swiss paintings on glass were in little estimation everywhere. The
„danger of destruction of these fragile articles of art through ignorance, carelessness,
„or wantonnes was then much greater than that of .their being carried off by sales.
„Many such paintings on glass which had been removed to be replaced by common
„glass and had been thrown aside and stored in some garret or cellar, have been saved
„by the indefatigable Mr. Vincent, who as a dealer in Silk goods used to visit the
„various Swiss fairs, and have thus been preserved to a future and more appreciative
„generation. It is fortunate that this man, who was possessed of a noble soul and a
„refined taste, had specially made our Swiss paintings on glass the subject of his atten-
tion. On the whole the Collection is still what it was at the time of his death. His
„son, Mr. Joseph Vincent, who died last year has added little to it; he limited himself to
„preserving the Collection, and all he did besides was to occasionally exchange one
„article for another, but he otherwise never sold anything.“
In the „Neujahrsblatt der Zürcherischen Antiquarischen Gesellschaft für 1890“
which prints the complete Catalogue of the Swiss portion of the Vincent Collection, the celebrated
Art. Critic, Professor Dr. Rahn of Zürich, has an interesting article on the late Mr. Johann Ni-
kolaus Vincent of which we give the following abstract: