M. Christopher Miller, The German Giant
Artist
Robert Grave
(British, 1731 – 1802)
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsHEIGHT: 11 × 8 1/2 in. (27.9 × 21.6 cm)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineTibbals Circus Collection
Object numberht8000348
Born in Leipzig in 1674, in adulthood, Maximilian Christopher Miller was documented as having a height of at least 7 feet, 8 inches and described as being “in every way proportionable.” Presented as the Saxon Giant, Miller had audiences with nobility across Europe. France’s King Louis XIV gave Miller a silver mace and a scimitar, presumably the same curved sword depicted in this image.
The etching, produced from life, illustrates the elaborate costume that was a central part of Miller’s presentation. It is noted that he favored a Hungarian tunic and a velvet cap topped with a large plume of feathers. He accessorized that costume with the scimitar and a gilt scepter. The text at the bottom notes that Miller’s height is near 8 feet, his hand is a foot, and one of his fingers measured 6 inches in length. A handwritten note at the bottom of the print records Miller’s death in 1734, the year after this image was made.
On View
Not on viewCollections
Frederick Whitman Glasier
Possibly 19th Century
