Charles Niehaus

Charles Niehaus was an American sculptor born to German immigrants. He learned to engrave wood and carve stone at a young age, studying at the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati. He then moved to München in 1877 for further studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. On his return to the US, he was commissioned with two portrait busts of the murdered US President Garfield, which later brought Niehaus many significant commissions. One of them was intended for the Capitol in Washington. As the most productive artist in the hall, seven of Niehaus’ statues of prominent Americans are in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

Niehaus was among the foremost monumental sculptors of his generation. He was active as both a portrait sculptor and monumental sculptor, winning numerous national competitions and many honors. He later turned to horse motifs and married writer Regina Armstrong.

From 1883-85 Niehaus stayed in Roma and created sculptures such as Caestus. It shows an athlete preparing for a fist fight and putting on the straps (in Latin: caestus). The 89 cm tall statue was cast in bronze in 1901. Strigil is also known as The Scraper (Athlete Using a Strigil). The work received an award at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 and was exhibited at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901 and the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition in St. Louis in 1904. Both works are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.