Existing comment:
Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied
Pehriska-Ruhpa in Costume of Dog Dancer
1834
watercolor and pencil on paper
Maximilian was a gifted ethnographer and naturalist. His artistic abilities were more limited, prompting Humboldt to convince him to hire a trained artist to accompany him to the United States. A comparison of Prince Max's watercolor of Péhriska-Rúhpa with Bodmer's engraving of the same man illuminates Humboldt's concern and reaffirms the importance of Bodmer's contributions. The prince focuses on the headdress rather than the man's features, evidence of Max's focus on tribal customs.
Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha Nebraska, Gift of the Enron Art Foundation, 1986.49.490.a |