ticketsMember | Make a donation

A Chief of the Multnomah Tribe

Founder Cast by Roman Bronze Works
1903; cast ca.1907
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 765
In 1902 MacNeil received a commission for a monument, The Coming of the White Man, to be given to the city of Portland, Oregon. For his representation of two Multnomah (Chinook) men of the Pacific Northwest, the sculptor grouped a standing chief and a crouching spiritual healer on a boulder-shaped pedestal overlooking the Columbia River. MacNeil also modeled the chief on a reduced scale, adding a headdress, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Chief of the Multnomah Tribe
  • Artist: Hermon Atkins MacNeil (American, Everett, Massachusetts 1866–1947 Queens, New York)
  • Founder: Cast by Roman Bronze Works
  • Date: 1903; cast ca.1907
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 37 x 10 x 10 1/4 in. (94 x 25.4 x 26 cm)
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Jacob Ruppert, 1939
  • Object Number: 39.65.54a, b
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Appeal to the Great Spirit, Cyrus Edwin Dallin American, Bronze, American
Appeal to the Great Spirit
Cyrus Edwin Dallin
Gorham Manufacturing Company
1913; cast ca. 1916
End of the Trail, James Earle Fraser American, Bronze, American
End of the Trail
James Earle Fraser
Roman Bronze Works
1918, cast 1918
Pan-American Exposition Award Medal, Hermon Atkins MacNeil American, Gilt bronze, American
Pan-American Exposition Award Medal
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
1901
Pan-American Exposition Award Medal, Hermon Atkins MacNeil American, Gilt bronze, American
Pan-American Exposition Award Medal
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
1901
The Moqui Prayer for Rain, Hermon Atkins MacNeil American, Bronze, American
The Moqui Prayer for Rain
Hermon Atkins MacNeil
Fonderia Nelli
1895–96; cast ca. 1897

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.