A Life-Size Figure of a Young Native American

After extensive time abroad working for the Barbedienne foundry, Ferdinand von Miller the Younger returned to Munich in 1863 to continue in his father’s stead of bronze-making to become the director of the Akademie der Bildenden Künste. Realistically modeled in a dynamic pose with one eye closed and exposed lean, youthful musculature, the impressive scale of this work and its subject matter speak to Miller’s deep interest and studies of Native Americans in the Rocky Mountains conducted during a visit to the United States. Notable public works by Miller include figures of the Tyler Davidson Fountain in Cincinnatti, Ohio, an equestrian statue of Louis IV in Munich and a statue of J. Marion Sims in Central Park, New York.