Middle Row Jumping Horse (Carousel Figure)

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c. 1924

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

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.

Status: On View, Gallery 263
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Daniel Müller
Title: Middle Row Jumping Horse (Carousel Figure)
Place: Germantown (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: c. 1924
Medium: Basswood, paint, glass, and metal
Dimensions: 134.6 × 27.9 × 137.2 cm (53 × 11 × 54 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Larry and Gail Freels
Reference Number: 2015.166

Annual Report (Art Institute of Chicago, 2014–15) online only.
“A Horse of a Different Color,” The Art Institute of Chicago Member Magazine (Spring 2020): 18 (ill.).

Made for carousel at Rock Springs Park, Chester, WV, c. 1924–1970. Larry and Gail Freels, Fresno, CA, by 2015; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2015.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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