Christian von Mechel | |
|---|---|
 Engraving of Christian von Mechel, by one of his students. | |
| Born | Christian von Mechel 4 April 1737 |
| Died | 11 April 1817 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Education | Johann Georg Wille |
| Known for | Engraving printmaking, Art Dealer, Art Historian |
| Notable work | La Galerie Électorale De Dusseldorff (1778) Hans Holbein – Le triomphe de la mort (1780) Bildnisse sämmtlicher zu dem Throne von Frankreich zurückberufenen Bourbons (1814) |
| Movement | Swiss Classicism |
| Patron(s) | Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
Christian von Mechel (4 April 1737 in Basel; † 11 April 1817 in Berlin) was a Swiss engraver, publisher and art dealer. He developed a broad trade in art, through business connections throughout northern and central Europe; although the French Revolutionary Wars ruined him financially, he started over in 1805 in Berlin.
Although trained in art and copper etching, he found his niche as a purveyor of art. Joseph II employed him to convert the private Habsburg collection to one available for public display. He was one of the first curators to employ schools of art as a mnenomic system of organization.