Ferdinand Miller, from 1875 von Miller and from 1912

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in ...

von Miller (8 June 1842 – 18 December 1929) was an ore caster, sculptor and director of the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

(Akademie der Bildenden Künste München). He also held a seat in the Royal Bavarian House of Lords, the Reichsrat.

Family

Miller was born and died in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. He was the son of the artisan and First Inspector of the Royal Munich brass foundry,

Ferdinand von Miller Ferdinand von Miller (18 October 1813 – 11 February 1887) was a German artisan who is noted for his furtherance of bronze founding. Biography Von Miller was born in Fürstenfeldbruck. After a sojourn at the academy in Munich and a preliminar ...

(1813–1887), and Anna Pösl (1815–1890). With the elevation of his father Ferdinand into the Bavarian nobility on 12 October 1875 and with the inscription of the family name on the roll of the aristocracy of the Kingdom of Bavaria on 30 December 1875, Ferdinand was simultaneously ennobled. Ferdinand's younger brother was the engineer and founder of the

Deutsches Museum The Deutsches Museum (''German Museum'', officially (English: ''German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology'')) in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of science museum, science and technology museum, technology, with a ...

Oskar von Miller Oskar Franz Xaver Miller, since 1875 von Miller (7 May 1855 – 9 April 1934), was a German engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum, a large museum of technology and science in Munich. Biography Born in Munich into an Upper Bavarian family ...

Life

Miller received his initial training from his father at the Royal Munich brass foundry. He continued his studies in Paris, London and finally in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

with

Ernst Julius Hähnel Ernst Julius Hähnel (9 March 1811 – 22 May 1891) was a German sculptor and Professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. He is especially remembered for his public statuary. His works of art can be admired throughout Germany. Life He w ...

. Afterwards he undertook several study trips to Italy and the US. He created about 70 statues and monuments. From 1900 to 1918 he was director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He was member of the Reichsrat (the House of Lords) of the Kingdom of Bavaria (the second chamber) and the Municipal council of Munich. In 1884 von Miller acquired

Karneid Castle Karneid Castle () is a castle in northern Italy situated in the ''comune'' (municipality) of Karneid in the province of South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 4 km east of the city of Bolzano, Bolzano (B ...

, a 13th-century Tyrolean castle near the town of

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

, from his sister-in-law Ida, who had inherited it from her father Carl Mayer von Mayerfels. Miller embarked on an extensive restoration project, making the structure habitable again after 200 years of neglect. After being expropriated after the 1st & 2nd World Wars, the property is today owned by Miller's direct descendants. In 1892 he was made a member of the

Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art The Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art () was first established on 28 November 1853 by King Maximilian II von Bayern. It is awarded to acknowledge and reward excellent and outstanding achievements in the field of science and art. From ...

. In 1912 he was made an honorary citizen of the city of Munich, and was promoted to Bavarian Freiherr (

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

) on 22 June 1912 in

Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps. South of the town, the Be ...

. He is buried in the family graveside Winthirkirche Cemetery in Munich-Neuhausen.

Work

von Miller's work includes: * some of the figures on the

Tyler Davidson Fountain The Tyler Davidson Fountain or ''The Genius of Water'' is a statue and fountain located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is regarded as the city's symbol and one of the area's most-visited attractions. It was dedicated in 1871 and is the centerpiece of F ...

in Cincinnati, Ohio, along with his brother

Fritz von Miller Friedrich "Fritz" Johann Baptist von Miller, known as Fritz von Miller (11 November 1840 – 29 December 1921) was a German bronze caster, goldsmith and sculptor. Life Fritz von Miller, born in Munich, was one of the 14 children of Ferdinand ...

as a commission from his father (1871) * colossal statues of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...

Tower Grove Park Tower Grove Park is a municipal park in St. Louis, Missouri. Located on the south side of the city, the elongated park extends from Kingshighway Boulevard east to Grand Boulevard. The park’s predominately residential surroundings include th ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

(1878)McCue, George, Photographs by David Finn and Amy Binder, ’’Sculpture City: St. Louis, Sculpture in the “Gateway to the West”’’ Hudson Hills Press NY and Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, 1988 pp. 42–45 * monument to

Albertus Magnus Albertus Magnus ( 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great, Albert of Swabia, Albert von Bollstadt, or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop, considered one of the great ...

Lauingen Lauingen (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Lauinga'') is a Town#Germany, town in the Dillingen (district), district of Dillingen in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the left bank of the Danube, 5 km west of Dillingen, Bavaria, Dillingen, and 37& ...

, Germany (1881) * Confederate Memorial, Magnolia Cemetery,

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

(1882) * white marble busts of

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

and

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

(1884), and a statue of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

(1886),

* Statue of King

Ludwig I of Bavaria Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...

in the

Walhalla memorial The Walhalla () is a hall of fame monument that honours laudable and distinguished people in German history"politicians, sovereigns, scientists and artists of the German tongue";Official Guide booklet, 2002, p. 3 While all new inductees since 1 ...

, near

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

(1890) * a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

depicting

J. Marion Sims James Marion Sims (January 25, 1813November 13, 1883) was an American physician in the field of surgery. His most famous work was the development of a Surgery, surgical technique for the repair of vesicovaginal fistula, a severe Complication (me ...

in surgical wear,The bronze standing figure is signed " . vn Miller fec. München 1892"; was erected and dedicated in Reservoir Square, now

Bryant Park Bryant Park is a , privately managed public park in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and between 40th Street (Manhattan), 40th and 42 ...

, in 1894. It was moved to Central Park in 1934
Text of historical sign
. near Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street, New York City (1894) * bronze of

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. 20 October 1314 imperial election, Louis' election a ...

, Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz, Munich (1905) * five allegorical figures of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

holding

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

aloft, at the

Puente de Boyacá The Puente de Boyacá (in English: Bridge of Boyacá) is a bridge located 110 km east of Bogotá and 14 km west from Tunja in a valley, crossing the Teatinos River near the Pan-American Highway. It was the site of the historic battle ...

historic site near Tunja, Colombia (1920)

External links

*
Article in Werdenfelser Künstlerlexikon
* Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels (German), ''Adelslexikon'' Band IX, Band 116 der Gesamtreihe, C. A. Starke Verlag, Limburg (Lahn) 1998,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Ferdinand Freiherr von 1842 births 1929 deaths People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Members of the Bavarian Reichsrat Artists from Munich German barons 20th-century German sculptors 20th-century German male artists 19th-century German sculptors German male sculptors Von Miller family