Portret van Conrad Grossmann

About this artwork

Onderdeel van een serie van 67(?) portretten van burgemeesters van Zürich. Zie Hollstein German 110, 1-26.

Art Historical Context

This engraving, created by Swiss artist Conrad Meyer in 1679, captures the likeness of Conrad Grossmann, one of Zürich’s civic leaders. Measuring 250 by 151 millimeters, the work belongs to a larger series of approximately 67 portraits documenting the city’s burgomasters. Meyer, active in the late Baroque period, specialized in precise portrait engravings that combined sharp line work with subtle tonal modeling to convey both status and personality. As part of this collective series, the print served an important civic function, preserving the memory of Zürich’s governing elite for posterity. Engravings like this one were widely distributed, allowing images of local officials to reach audiences beyond the city walls at a time when painted portraits remained rare and costly. The reference to Hollstein’s catalog underscores its place within established print scholarship, highlighting Meyer’s contribution to Swiss graphic art. Today the engraving offers viewers a window into 17th-century municipal identity and the enduring role of printmaking in shaping public remembrance.

About the Artist

Conrad Meyer · 1618–1689

Comment on works: Portraits; Figures; Landscapes