"Famous Throughout Europe"
The sheets in "Aberli's style" were a European success story. They were the souvenirs of the time par excellence. Not only the artists themselves were involved in their distribution. An important role was played by the art publishers who offered the prints for sale. Find out more about the exciting chapter of marketing the works of the minor masters.
Anonymous after Markus Dinkel, Marie Frutschi, La belle Chanteuse de Brienz, circa 1821, colored outline etching.
Advertising
The works of the Kleinmeister were advertised in Switzerland and Germany to make them known to a wide audience. Read a few lines from the review of the Bernese Chaîne d'Alpes by Sigmund Gottlieb Studer in the magazine Museum für Künstler und für Kunstliebhaber and find out how this topographically accurate and picturesquely beautiful view of the Alps was advertised.
Balthasar Anton Dunker after Sigmund Gottlieb Studer, Chaîne d'Alpes vue depuis les environs de Berne, 1788, outline etching colored by Heinrich Rieter.
Locations of The Art shops
The small masters were active wherever they met their customers. The large cities were an important location.
Anonymous after Tobias Mayer, La Svisse, divisée en ses tréze Cantons, ses Alliez et ses Sujets, 1751, copperplate engraving and etching, colored.
Stately Prices
The sale of views was a lucrative business for the Kleinmeister. In the late 18th century, views worth 25,000 to 30,000 Swiss francs were sold in Bern every year, enough to cover the annual living costs of twenty families. Take a look at a contemporary advertisement and find out more about the prices for the works of the Kleinmeister at the time.
Johann Gottfried Ebel, Anleitung, auf die nützlichste und genussvollste Art die Schweitz zu bereisen, Zurich 1804-1805 (© ETH-Bibliothek Zurich).
Detailed Information
In addition to the price, title and short, keyword-like descriptions, the ad also shows the dimensions of the sheets. They are given in inches. One inch corresponded to approximately 2.5 centimeters.
Johann Gottfried Ebel, Anleitung, auf die nützlichste und genussvollste Art die Schweitz zu bereisen, Zurich 1804-1805 (© ETH-Bibliothek Zurich).
A Sheet From Aberli or a Five-Course Meal?
4 livres de Suisse was a tidy sum in those days. For this, a Swiss restaurant served between two and three meals, consisting of "soup, three courses, dessert and half a Maas of table wine" - in today's terms, this would be a five-course meal.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Dessiné sur les Remparts à Berne, after 1780, colored outline etching.
Pricing Factors
The large-format sheet Vûe du Chateau de Wimmis et des environs was traded in the late 18th century even for 8 livres de Suisse, twice the price of the sheet Dessiné sur les remparts à Berne. This was partly due to its format - it was twice the size of the view from the Bern bastion - but also to the fact that Heinrich Rieter had colored it. He was regarded as the person who had substantially improved Aberli's invention.
Johann Ludwig Aberli, Vûe du Chateau de Wimmis et des environs, 1783/84, outline etching colored by Heinrich Rieter.