Swiss School (circa 1720) - Niklaus Weyermann III, Bernese Patrician

Oil on canvas. On the reverse of the original canvas are the coat of arms of the Weyermann family, one of the main patrician dynasties of Bern in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, which became extinct in 2016. Below the coat of arms is inscribed the year of the portrait, 1724, as well as a note affixed to the canvas with a red wax seal, confirming the identity of the sitter: Niklaus Weyermann III. The figure of Niklaus Weyermann III (1694 – c. 1750) symbolizes the consolidation of a lineage which, for more than five centuries, was inseparable from the political and social fabric of the canton of Bern. Born into a family whose Bernese citizenship is documented as early as 1475 – the year the first Niklaus Weyermann was a member of the prestigious riflemen's guild (Schützengesellschaft) – this patrician's destiny was shaped by the legacy of a family that, from 1513 onwards, held seats in the Grand Council (Großer Rat). The most tangible legacy of his era is the construction of the Weyermannshaus, a majestic residence he designed on land of exceptional strategic and natural value. The property was originally built near an old artificial lake, created centuries earlier for fish farming and water management in the region. Nicholas III not only consolidated his family's presence in this location but also transformed the estate into a symbol of 18th-century Bernese patrician prestige, combining agricultural functionality with architectural distinction. Over the centuries, the area surrounding the Weyermannshaus underwent a radical transformation. What was once a private pool and holiday retreat for the local aristocracy was acquired by the city in the 20th century to become the Freibad Weyermannshaus. Today, this complex is renowned for housing one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in Europe, whose main pool still occupies, almost exactly as it was, the former pond that Nicholas III used to gaze upon from his balconies. The extinction of the male line of the Weyermanns in 2013 marked the end of a historical cycle spanning more than 500 years. However, the name of Nicholas III remains inextricably linked to the Bernese landscape. His former manor and its surroundings, once the epicenter of a closed lineage, have become an emblematic public space, where the memory of the Bernese patriciate mingles with the dynamism of the modern city.- Image dimensions without frame: 64 x 82 cm / 72.5 x 90.5 cm with an exclusive custom-made frame in antique gilded wood.