Choosing of the Arrow

Henry Kirke Brown

1849 · Bronze · The American Wing

In 1848, Brown earned a commission for a statuette representing an Indigenous subject from the American-Art Union, a New York organization that distributed art to subscribers by annual lottery. To prepare for Choosing of the Arrow, he traveled to Michigan’s Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. His visit coincided with a gathering of Chippewa and Ottawa peoples, and he spent much of his time sketching them. The resulting sculpture, an idealized male nude reaching to draw an arrow from the quiver strapped to his back, reveals Brown’s exacting attention to detail in the subtle handling of the ribcage and the ornamental topknot.

Artist

Henry Kirke Brown

Date

1849

Medium

Bronze

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Purchase, Mia R. Taradash and Dorothy Schwartz Gifts, and Morris K. Jesup and Rogers Funds, 2005