A colossal (technically speaking, twice life-size) bronze statue of Thomas Hart Benton resides in St. Louis’s Lafayette Park. It was cast by Ferdinand Miller in 1864 at the Royal Metal Foundry of Munich in Bavaria.
This grand giant, the first public monument placed in Missouri, was produced by a rightly famed sculptress, Harriet Hosmer. She is profiled in an earlier essay here.
In November of 2018, the Lafayette Park Conservancy observed the 150th anniversary of the Benton statue’s dedication. After that, while walking around the site, I noticed an inscription on the base of the statue. It reads,“Ferd Miller Munchen.” This called for some Googling.
European roots of an American monument
Ferdinand Miller (1813 – 1887) was a bronze worker with a fine pedigree. In 1825 his uncle established the Bavarian state foundry in Munich. Ferdinand studied foundry craft in France, England and the Netherlands, then returned to Munich. There, he assumed his late uncle’s role at the foundry.
The key event for Miller and the Royal Foundry was the commissioning of a statue of Bavaria for the city of Munich by Ludwig I. No ordinary work, it was the first colossal statue in modern times made entirely of cast bronze
Thomas Hart Benton stands an impressive ten feet tall. Bavaria, cast over a six year period from 1844 – 1850 stands 60 feet high and weighs nearly 90 tons. The statue features a spiral staircase and four viewing ports in her crown. Truly colossal.
Ferdinand worked with four major sections (head, bust, hips and lower half) and numerous smaller components before assembly. In 1848, Ludwig I was forced to abdicate the throne. His successor had troubles raising funds to continue work on the monument. Miller personally made up the shortfall, causing him serious financial problems. Funding eventually came through, but Miller wasn’t compensated for much of his contribution. The fame he gained from this effort however, brought him a lifetime of commissions. The foundry thrived, and produced, until the 1930s, over 100 bronze works worldwide.
For the metal heads out there, the preferred casting composition for colossal bronze statuary by the Royal Foundry in Munich was 92% copper, 5% zinc, 2% tin, and 1% lead. It’s a safe assumption that this is similar to the constitution of Thomas Hart Benton, even if we do sometimes refer to him as “Old Bullion”.
The next Miller and Henry Shaw
Ferdinand married in 1840 and raised 14 children, including Ferdinand Freiherr von Miller (literally, Ferdinand the younger; photo to the left). This third generation Miller fell right in line at the foundry, becoming a noted founder, sculptor and painter in his own right.
The installation of the Benton statue in Lafayette Park inspired Henry Shaw to follow suit in Tower Grove Park. Appreciating the scale and quality of the casting, Shaw struck up a relationship with Ferdinand. He invited him to St. Louis in 1871.
Henry turned to Ferd the Younger for colossal statues of Alexander von Humboldt (1878), William Shakespeare (1878), and Christopher Columbus (1886). Similarly, Shaw commissioned marble busts of his favorite composers. He called on Ferdinand to provide those of Beethoven and Wagner (1884). All but Columbus, exiled for historical impropriety, are still in Tower Grove Park today.
Shaw’s enthusiasm for von Miller’s work carried right to the philanthropist’s end. In 1882, he entrusted Ferdinand to carve the mausoleum figure for his tomb in the Missouri Botanical Garden. He personally posed for the sculptor. It was the final work of art Henry Shaw would commission, and a fine tribute to the close connection between St. Louis and the von Millers.
Note: The “von” in the name von Miller signified his elevation to a barony
Thanks to Research Sources:
Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 10; Gerhard Gietmann; 1913
Wikipedia for photos of both von Millers
Museum Without Walls by culture Now http://culturenow.org/entry&permalink=08913&seo=Beethoven_Ferdinand-von-Miller-II-St-Louis-Regional-Arts-Commission-RAC-and-Tower-Grove-Park
stlenergized.blogspot.com for photo of Columbus
Library of Congress for photo of Shaw Mausoleum
I’ve admired the Humboldt statue for years and it is great to have all of these put into context and the full history provided. Thanks Mike!
Thanks for reading, Dorris. There was a lot to like about Alexander von Humboldt. Anyone with an interest in historical men of genius would do well to look him up!
“For someone with curiosity, there is no end to subjects. Or objects.”—Uncle Duke
Thanks so much for providing the information on the von Miller Foundry. I keep a list of foundries and the dates they were established and too often, the information is quite difficult to find so I appreciate your taking the time to highlight this MOST important piece of the sculpture process!