Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Max Bachmann
Bronze Bust
C. 1905
27" x 16" x 10"
 
This bronze bust depicts a beardless Abraham Lincoln and is attributed to the renowned German-American sculptor Max Bachmann. Noteworthy for its remarkable dark brown patina, the piece bears the artist's signature twice within the mold and exhibits minimal signs of wear. The sculpture is stamped with the mark of the Roman Bronze Works in New York.
 
Max Bachmann (1862-1921) was a prolific artist with a diverse portfolio, yet he is most celebrated for his various interpretations of Lincoln, with one notable statue located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some of his works were promoted by the Caproni Gallery of Boston. It is speculated that the inspiration for this particular beardless bust may have been drawn from an ambrotype captured by Calvin Jackson on 1 October 1858 in Pittsfield, Illinois, shortly before the conclusive Lincoln-Douglas debate (Ostendorf O-10). See Leigh Henson, "Max Bachman's Lincolns," at www.findinglincolnillinois.com.