Designed and carved by Daniel Müller
American, born Germany, 1872–1951
Possibly painted by Angelo Calsamilia
American, born Italy, 1870–1937
Gustav A. Dentzel Carousel Company
American, 1867–1928
Germantown, Pennsylvania
Middle Row Jumping Horse (Carousel Figure)
INV-2286
Designed and carved by Daniel Müller
American, born Germany, 1872–1951
Possibly painted by Angelo Calsamilia
American, born Italy, 1870–1937
Gustav A. Dentzel Carousel Company
American, 1867–1928
Germantown, Pennsylvaniac. 1924
Middle Row Jumping Horse (Carousel Figure)
Designed and carved by Daniel Müller American, born Germany, 1872–1951 Possibly painted by Angelo Calsamilia American, born Italy, 1870–1937 Gustav A. Dentzel Carousel Company American, 1867–1928 Germantown, Pennsylvania →equus caballus (species)carousel (ride)
Date
c. 1924
Medium
Basswood, paint, glass, and metal
Dimensions
134.6 × 27.9 × 137.2 cm (53 × 11 × 54 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Larry and Gail Freels
This vibrant jumping horse revolved on a carousel in Rock Springs Park, West Virginia, from around 1924 until the ride was dismantled in 1970. Daniel Müller, a German immigrant who grew up in the carousel industry, designed and carved the figure. Müller was known for his realistic style, visible here in the musculature of the horse’s legs mid-jump and the delicate flare of its nostrils.
Conservation analysis revealed that the horse was painted twice, the later visible layer possibly by artist and former Dentzel Company employee Angelo Calsamilia, who traveled the country to repaint carousel figures in active use.