19th C. Karl L. H. Muller Copper Relief - Cupid Riding a Bear

Karl L. H. Muller (German-born American, 1820-1887). Cupid riding a bear. Copper relief, n.d. Signed at lower left. A circular copper relief shows a winged Cupid sitting astride a shaggy bear in an Alpine landscape. The plump, nude child holds on to the animal's ruff with one hand and turns his face toward the viewer. His broad, finely feathered wings fan out against the sky. The bear moves forward with its jaws open in a snarl, and its coat is rendered in dense, chased tufts. Jagged, snow-capped peaks rise behind them, and grass grows thick underfoot. The roundel is signed "K. MULLER" at lower left. It is set against a black pebble-grained ground inside an oak frame with molded acanthus ornament. The subject probably plays on the classical idea that love conquers even the fiercest creature, treated here with Victorian charm. Karl L. H. Muller (1820-1887) was a German-born sculptor and modeler who settled in the United States. He is best known for his work at the Union Porcelain Works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he served as chief designer and modeler. His most celebrated work there is the Century Vase, made for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. It is a virtuoso porcelain tribute to American history, with examples now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. He also designed many of the firm's figural pitchers and tablewares, which are known for their wit and skilled modeling. The allegorical, gently humorous approach of his porcelain designs also shows in his work in metal. Cupid taming a wild animal was a popular Victorian subject, drawn from the Latin motto "Amor vincit omnia" (love conquers all). Item # 205556

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