Amerbach Cabinet

Visitors in the painting hall in the House zur Mücke in 1837

A central piece of the cabinet included the heritage of the Christian scholar Erasmus von Rotterdam[2] for which Bonifacius had commissioned a trunk in 1539.[3] The collection included paintings, sketches, medallions, rare coins, the letters of the Amerbach family, and a library of 9000 books.[4] The library contained more than 2000 theological, 2000 juridical, 2000 philosophical and 1000 historical books.[5] The cabinet included an extensive collection of paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger, which Basilius seemed to have acquired in the late 1570s.[6] It is assumed that they were purchased from the very close environment of Hans Holbeins workshop, as the acquired works also included some by Hans Holbein the Elder, and Ambrosius Holbein.[6] Works by Urs Graf, Hans Baldung Grien, and Niklaus Manuel Deutsch where also included in the cabinet.[7] In 1630, the books were categorized in a new catalogue by the librarian of the University of Basel.[8]

In 1661, the heirs of Basilius received an offer to sell the collection to Amsterdam for 9500 Reichsthaler.[5] This led influential citizens of Basel, the professors of the University of Basel, Johann Caspar Bauhin,[9] and Johann Rudolf Wettstein[10] to encourage a purchase for the city. With the support of the mayor Johann Rudolf Wettstein[2] and Remigius Faesch, the founder of the Faesch Museum[10] the cabinet was acquired by the city of Basel and the University Basel,[5] in November 1661. The price of the purchase was 9000 Reichsthaler,[11] of which two thirds were to be paid by Basel and one third by the university.[1] Following, it was decided that the university was to take care of the cabinet and they stored it in the university building close by the river Rhine.[2] In 1671 the cabinet moved into the House zur Mücke, where the collection initially was open to the public every Thursday afternoon, later on two days a week.[2] According to several reports, it was one of the first public exhibitions in the world.[2] In 1769 the paintings were exhibited in an own hall.[2] In 1833, during the discussions of the partition of the Canton Basel into Basel Country and Basel-City it was decided that Basel City would keep the collection as a whole.[2] Today the collection is divided and accessible at the University,[4] the Kunstmuseum,[1] and the Historical Museum of Basel.[12]