person

FERDINAND VON MILLER II

Details

• Nationality: German
• Birthday: 1842
• Url: https://racstl.org/public-art/christopher-columbus/

Description

From https://racstl.org/public-art/christopher-columbus/ to gather data:

Born in Munich, Germany in 1842, Ferdinand von Miller II was the son of the founder of the Royal Bronze Foundry, where many of America’s major nineteenth century monuments were cast. While managing his inherited business, he also worked as a sculptor in stone and bronze. From 1900 to 1918 he was the Director of the Munich Academy. His statue Christopher Columbus was the last of three figures that Henry Shaw commissioned from von Miller for Tower Grove Park, and it was the first Columbus statue to be erected in the United States. The benefactor and the sculptor were both detail-oriented men and argued over whether Columbus would have worn a beard. Shaw insisted that the statue have one, even though the sculptor’s research indicated that Genoese sailors of that time were beardless. In the end both men got their way. Columbus is depicted with a full beard, but near his foot is an inscription added by the artist (in German): “It is not my fault that the head of Columbus is not true, but the wish of the client.”