He was interested in art from an early age and was apprenticed to a sculptor in Düsseldorf.
He made a name for himself in the porcelain trade and was named Modellmeister at the acclaimed Höchst porcelain factory in 1767, a post he held until 1779. He later worked at the factories at Frankenthal (1779-1793) and Nymphenburg (1797–1822). He died in Nymphenburg.
Melchior was a transitional figure between Rococo and Neoclassicism.