Burchard Precht (24 October 1651 – 26 February 1738) was a Swedish-German furniture maker and sculptor. He is best known for his contributions to
Stockholm Cathedral and
Uppsala Cathedral
Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran t ...
; he designed the altarpiece for Uppsala in 1728. Precht and his workshop also created other church furnishings, including
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
s, and a large amount of furniture, primarily gilded tables, guéridons and ornamental frames for mirrors and pictures.
Early life and career
![GustafVasakyrkan Altarpiece](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/GustafVasakyrkan_Altarpiece.jpg)
Precht was born in 1651 in
Bremen, Germany. His father was a sculptor and so was his elder brother , to whom he was apprenticed in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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in 1666, who was also a wood carver who had worked on the
organ of St. Jacobi in Hamburg.
In 1672, he went to Sweden at the suggestion of
Nicolaes Millich
Nicolaes Millich or Nicholas Millich (1629-c. 1699) was a Flemish sculptor, architect and designer of armor and ephemeral objects.[Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace ( sv, Drottningholms slott) is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. Drottningholm is near the capital Stockholm. Built on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County), it is one of Sweden ...]
. He associated with Herman Buck in the
Storkyrkan
Storkyrkan (, ), also called Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Church of Saint Nicholas), is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace an ...
in Stockholm and both had similar baroque styles of carving sculptures on the organ. Precht's contributions to the palace were mostly carved ornamentation, for example in the "Dowager Queen's Alcove". He also executed such items as
guéridon
A guéridon is a small table supported by one or more columns, or sculptural human or mythological figures, often with a circular top. The guéridon originated in France towards the middle of the 17th century. The supports for early guéridons we ...
s, frames for mirrors and pictures, and tables. In 1681 he became court sculptor. Six years later, he followed
Nicodemus Tessin the Younger
Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (May 23, 1654 – April 10, 1728) was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator.
The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the midd ...
to France and Italy to make studies preparing for the planned redevelopment of
Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm into a palace. Precht's 1684 carving for
Storkyrkan
Storkyrkan (, ), also called Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Church of Saint Nicholas), is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace an ...
's Royal Pew was to a design by Tessin the Younger. After his return he decorated the new chapel and several other rooms, all of which were lost when the palace burned down in 1697. Together with Tessin, Precht introduced the gilded
Baroque style to Sweden.
Precht established a studio which produced a large number of church fittings for more than fifty years, and which continued to be influential for most of the 18th century. An example of his work is the
sarcophagus of Gustaf Kruus in the Sätuna crypt in
Björklinge
Björklinge is a locality situated in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 3,269 inhabitants in 2010. The name, written as ''Birklinge'', was used for the parish as early as 1314, and Norsemen graves have been found in the area.
Bjà ...
church, created in 1692. Executing designs by Tessin, Precht furnished a large number of churches, including the royal pews and
pulpits in
Stockholm Cathedral (in 1684 and 1701), when he worked with Herman Buck; and
Uppsala Cathedral
Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran t ...
(1709). He created the
altarpiece for Uppsala Cathedral (1728), which was moved to the
Gustaf Vasa Church
Gustaf Vasa Church ( sv, Gustaf Vasa kyrka) is a church located in the Vasastaden district of Stockholm, Sweden. Inaugurated in 1906 and named after 16th century King Gustav Vasa, it was designed by architect Agi Lindegren in the Baroque Revival ...
in Stockholm in 1906. This high
baroque style altar was built by Precht in his workshop between 1728 and 1731.
[ The pulpit at this cathedral was a gift by Queen Dowager Hedvig Eleonora as the earlier one had been destroyed by fire in 1702. It was then the largest in Sweden where high mass was held on Sundays. Precht and his workshop also created other church furnishings, including ]epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
s, and a large amount of furniture, primarily gilded tables, guéridons and ornamental frames for mirrors and pictures. His studio also produced mirrors and frames. He delivered a pair of marble busts for Stockholm Castle in 1690, and also created marble statues for the royal stables on the island of Helgeandsholmen
Helgeandsholmen () is a small island in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is located north of Stadsholmen, and east of Strömsborg, with which, together with Riddarholmen, it forms Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm. Helgeandsholmen contains the ...
.
Precht's professional career made him the most prominent sculptor in Sweden during the 17th and early 18th centuries. His techniques of construction and aspects such as artistic presentation with a smooth surface finish seen in the altar in Gustaf Vasa Church are also noted in Germany and Austria.
Personal life
His son Christian Precht (1706–1779) was a silversmith and designer of china patterns who is credited with introducing Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
style to Sweden. Precht died in 1738 in Stockholm, Sweden. A medal was struck in his honour in the same year.
References
;Bibliography
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* '' Nordisk familjebok'' 1904–1926 ed.
* ''Nationalencyklopedin
''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 1 ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Precht, Burchard
Swedish male sculptors
17th-century German sculptors
German male sculptors
18th-century German sculptors
18th-century German male artists
1651 births
1738 deaths
Artists from Bremen
Swedish furniture designers
German furniture designers
German emigrants to Sweden