Daniel Christian Fueter (1720–1785), whose name was variously written as Fouaitier and Fouetter, was a Swiss-American

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exact synonyms, as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely the same but differed in that t ...

and

medalist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

, active in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from about 1754 until 1764 or 1766. Fueter was born in

Bern, Switzerland Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, where he worked as a goldsmith until 1749. After he took part in a failed political conspiracy, he was condemned to death, and fled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. His son, the

Christian Fueter Christian Fueter (June 2, 1752 – January 19, 1844) was a Swiss medalist and mint-master at Bern from 1792 to 1837. Fueter was born in London, the youngest son of Daniel Christian Fueter, a goldsmith who had taken refuge in England for politic ...

, was born in London in 1752, and Fueter himself is mentioned in W. Chaffee's ''Gilda Aurifabrorum'' as living in Chelsea, "next door to Man in ye Moon, on the 8th December, 1753." Around 1754 he arrived in

, where he was made freeman in 1759 and established his business as gold and silversmith. While in New York, he published a series of advertisements: Sometime around 1764 or 1766 he retired and moved to

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

. In 1769 political turmoil in Switzerland had subsided, and he returned to live beside

Lake Neuchâtel Lake Neuchâtel ( ; ; ) is a lake primarily in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg, and Bern. It comprises one of the lakes in th ...

until his death. His medals include the 1764 George III

Indian Peace Medal Indian peace medals refer to ovular or circular medals awarded to tribal leaders throughout colonial America and early United States history, primarily made of silver or brass and ranging in diameter from about one to six inches.Reilly, Kent (2011) ...

(also known as the Happy While United Medal), as well as a 1761 medal bestowed on a Native American chief for the storming of Montreal by the British in 1760. His silver is collected in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

Historic Deerfield Historic Deerfield is a museum dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and history of the Connecticut River Valley. Its historic houses, museums, and programs provide visitors with an understanding of New Engl ...

Winterthur Museum Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home of Henry Francis du Pont ...

, and

Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University. Although it embraces all cultures and period ...

References

New York newspaper advertisements and news items: 1777-1779
University of Oxford Text Archive.

The New York Times, January 19, 1990, page 84.
"The Maker of the Montreal Indian Medal"
in the ''American Journal of Numismatics'', Volumes 42-43, pages 155-156. * ''American Silver of the XVII & XVIII Centuries: A Study Based on the Clearwater Collection'', Alphonso Trumpbour Clearwater, Clara Louise Avery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1920, pages 82-83. * ''American Rococo, 1750-1775: Elegance in Ornament'', Morrison Heckscher and

Leslie Greene Bowman Leslie Greene Bowman (born November 9, 1956) is an American museum administrator and decorative arts historian who has served as president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns and runs Monticello, since 2008. She previously worked in pr ...

, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992, page 76. * ''The Magazine Antiques'', Volume 127, Straight Enterprises, 1985.
"FUETER, Daniel Christian"
Medal Artists database.
George III Indian Peace Medal, 1764
Massachusetts Historical Society.
Indian Peace Medal
National Portrait Gallery.
"Henry Needham Flynt Silver and Metalware Collection"
Historic Deerfield.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fueter, Daniel Christian American silversmiths American medallists 1720 births 1785 deaths Swiss emigrants to the United States Immigrants to the Thirteen Colonies 18th-century American artisans