Schnapsdog, around 1700
Photo: Thomas Hackl
Collection Nordico Stadtmuseum Linz (Collection Pachinger)
This small, nondescript object of folklore is not especially valuable in the material sense, a decorative container in the shape of a dog made from venician glass in the 18th century. Strange. Collectable. Not a representative highlight of a collection’s exhibition, not an important title in art history, but a piece with heart, with the story of a passionate collector attatched to it, and, now, a piece inseperably linked to the soul of the museum it is kept in: Councilor Anton Maximilian Pachinger (born in Linz, 1864 – 1938) created a unique, incredibly diverse collection during his lifetime, described by an acquaintance of his as “civic”, “without pomp” and “uniquely charismatic”, authentic and accessible in the sense of connecting to the viewer in a way only private collections are able to. After his death this collection was made property of the city of Linz and became the foundation for the city museum Nordico.
Photo: Thomas Hackl