Matthias Buchinger (German: [maˈtiːas ˈbʊxɪŋɐ]; June 2, 1674 – January 17, 1740), sometimes called Matthew Buckinger in English, was a German artist, magician, calligrapher, and performer who was born without hands or feet and was 2'5" (74 cm.) tall.[1] Buchinger was especially noted for his micrography, in which illustrations consist of very small text.[2]
Buchinger was born in Ansbach, Germany, without hands or lower legs. An artist and performer, he "traveled all over Northern Europe to entertain kings and aristocrats as well as hoi polloi with amazing feats of physical dexterity" and was known as “The Greatest German Living” and "Little Man from Nuremberg".[2][3] He travelled to England trying to get a court appointment with King George I; unsuccessful, he then moved to Ireland where he gave public demonstrations, in Dublin in 1720 and in Belfast in 1722. He also is rumored to have had children by as many as 70 mistresses.[4][5] Buchinger's fame was so widespread that in the 1780s the term "Buckinger's boot" existed in England as a euphemism for the vagina (because the only "limb" he had was his penis).[6] Buchinger died in Cork, Ireland.
The detailed writing embedded in the engraving
Despite his having small, finlike appendages for hands, his engravings were incredibly detailed. One such engraving, a self-portrait, was so detailed that a close examination of the curls of his hair revealed that they were in fact seven biblical psalms and the Lord's Prayer, inscribed in miniature letters.[4]
Despite his handicap Buchinger was an accomplished magician, causing balls to disappear from under cups and birds to appear from nowhere. It also was said that he was unbeatable at cards and would dazzle audiences with his amazing displays of marksmanship. Buchinger liked to build ships in a bottle. He had tremendous dexterity, in spite of his disability.[7]
Buchinger's musical skills included the ability to play a half-dozen musical instruments including the dulcimer, hautboy, trumpet, and flute and several of his own invention.[5]
FamilyEdit
Buchinger was married four times and had at least 14 children.[8] These fourteen children were birthed by eight women.[citation needed]
LegacyEdit
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presented 16 of his graphic works in a historical show entitled, “Wordplay: Matthias Buchinger’s Drawings From the Collection of Ricky Jay”.[9] Jay, a magician and "collector of antique marvels", tracked down Buchinger's works for more than 30 years. He chronicled his pursuit of all things Buchinger in a book called Matthias Buchinger: ‘The Greatest German Living’ by Ricky Jay, Whose Peregrinations in Search of the ‘Little Man of Nuremberg’ Are Herein Revealed.[10]
^ abKen Johnson (January 14, 2016). "Astounding Feats in Pen, Ink and Magnifying Glass". The New York Times.
^J. T. Penaud (29 March 2006). "Human Marvels:Matthew Buchinger – The Little Man of Nuremberg". Retrieved March 18, 2011.
^ abJackson, Holbrook (2001). The Anatomy of Bibliomania. University of Illinois Press. ISBN0-252-07043-7. Matthew Buchinger, who possessed neither hands nor legs, yet he married four times, ... the lines being composed of seven Psalms and the Lord's Prayer. ...
^ abJay, Ricky (June 1, 2009). "Desperately Seeking Susan". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-03. Buchinger demonstrated his skill on more than a half-dozen musical instruments (some of his own invention), danced a hornpipe, and performed conjuring tricks with cups and balls, cards and dice. In front of the lord provost he fashioned a pen and with it produced a fine calligraphic document of the coat of arms of the city. The year was 1726. Buchinger was 52 years old, 29 inches tall — and, he had neither legs nor arms. ...
^Kraven, Vlad. . Magician. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
^Ragauskas, Aivas. "Paul, the Wonder Boy from Vokė". LDKistorija.lt. Vilnius University. Retrieved 6 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Schjeldahl, Peter, Seeing and Believing: the mysteries of Matthias Buchinger, The New Yorker, January 25, 2016
^Peter Schjeldahl (January 25, 2016). "Seeing and Believing: The Mysteries of Matthias Buchinger". The New Yorker.
Further readingEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthias Buchinger.
matthias, buchinger, german, maˈtiːas, ˈbʊxɪŋɐ, june, 1674, january, 1740, sometimes, called, matthew, buckinger, english, german, artist, magician, calligrapher, performer, born, without, hands, feet, tall, buchinger, especially, noted, micrography, which, il. Matthias Buchinger German maˈtiːas ˈbʊxɪŋɐ June 2 1674 January 17 1740 sometimes called Matthew Buckinger in English was a German artist magician calligrapher and performer who was born without hands or feet and was 2 5 74 cm tall 1 Buchinger was especially noted for his micrography in which illustrations consist of very small text 2 Matthias BuchingerSelf portraitBorn 1674 06 02 June 2 1674Ansbach Principality of Ansbach Holy Roman EmpireDiedJanuary 17 1740 1740 01 17 aged 65 Cork Kingdom of IrelandNationalityGermanOccupation s Artist magician calligrapher Contents 1 Biography 2 Family 3 Legacy 4 See also 5 References 6 Further readingBiography EditBuchinger was born in Ansbach Germany without hands or lower legs An artist and performer he traveled all over Northern Europe to entertain kings and aristocrats as well as hoi polloi with amazing feats of physical dexterity and was known as The Greatest German Living and Little Man from Nuremberg 2 3 He travelled to England trying to get a court appointment with King George I unsuccessful he then moved to Ireland where he gave public demonstrations in Dublin in 1720 and in Belfast in 1722 He also is rumored to have had children by as many as 70 mistresses 4 5 Buchinger s fame was so widespread that in the 1780s the term Buckinger s boot existed in England as a euphemism for the vagina because the only limb he had was his penis 6 Buchinger died in Cork Ireland The detailed writing embedded in the engravingDespite his having small finlike appendages for hands his engravings were incredibly detailed One such engraving a self portrait was so detailed that a close examination of the curls of his hair revealed that they were in fact seven biblical psalms and the Lord s Prayer inscribed in miniature letters 4 Despite his handicap Buchinger was an accomplished magician causing balls to disappear from under cups and birds to appear from nowhere It also was said that he was unbeatable at cards and would dazzle audiences with his amazing displays of marksmanship Buchinger liked to build ships in a bottle He had tremendous dexterity in spite of his disability 7 Buchinger s musical skills included the ability to play a half dozen musical instruments including the dulcimer hautboy trumpet and flute and several of his own invention 5 Family EditBuchinger was married four times and had at least 14 children 8 These fourteen children were birthed by eight women citation needed Legacy EditThe Metropolitan Museum of Art presented 16 of his graphic works in a historical show entitled Wordplay Matthias Buchinger s Drawings From the Collection of Ricky Jay 9 Jay a magician and collector of antique marvels tracked down Buchinger s works for more than 30 years He chronicled his pursuit of all things Buchinger in a book called Matthias Buchinger The Greatest German Living by Ricky Jay Whose Peregrinations in Search of the Little Man of Nuremberg Are Herein Revealed 10 See also EditMicrography PhocomeliaReferences Edit Matthew Buchinger Dublin Penny Journal at the National Library of Ireland April 27 1833 Retrieved 2009 06 03 a b Ken Johnson January 14 2016 Astounding Feats in Pen Ink and Magnifying Glass The New York Times J T Penaud 29 March 2006 Human Marvels Matthew Buchinger The Little Man of Nuremberg Retrieved March 18 2011 a b Jackson Holbrook 2001 The Anatomy of Bibliomania University of Illinois Press ISBN 0 252 07043 7 Matthew Buchinger who possessed neither hands nor legs yet he married four times the lines being composed of seven Psalms and the Lord s Prayer a b Jay Ricky June 1 2009 Desperately Seeking Susan The New York Times Retrieved 2009 06 03 Buchinger demonstrated his skill on more than a half dozen musical instruments some of his own invention danced a hornpipe and performed conjuring tricks with cups and balls cards and dice In front of the lord provost he fashioned a pen and with it produced a fine calligraphic document of the coat of arms of the city The year was 1726 Buchinger was 52 years old 29 inches tall and he had neither legs nor arms Grose Francis 1785 The Vulgar Tongue S Hooper Kraven Vlad Time Travel Part 1 Matthew Buchinger Magician Archived from the original on 1 September 2011 Retrieved 26 April 2011 Ragauskas Aivas Paul the Wonder Boy from Voke LDKistorija lt Vilnius University Retrieved 6 September 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Schjeldahl Peter Seeing and Believing the mysteries of Matthias Buchinger The New Yorker January 25 2016 Peter Schjeldahl January 25 2016 Seeing and Believing The Mysteries of Matthias Buchinger The New Yorker Further reading Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthias Buchinger Randi James Conjuring 1992 ISBN 0 312 09771 9 Blaine David Mysterious Stranger 2002 ISBN 0 7522 1989 8 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Matthias Buchinger amp oldid 1160238427, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
