Lot 61: Carl Ethan Akeley (1864-1926)

The Old Man of Mikeno inscribed and dated 'The Old Man of Mikeno/Carl Akeley SC. 1923 Kunst Foundry N.Y.' (along the base) bronze with blackish-green patina 261/2 in. (67.3 cm.) NOTES Carl Akeley, an innovator in the fields of taxidermy and photography, was also an accomplished sculptor. His bronze groups of animals are displayed prominently throughout the American Museum of Natural History in New York where he was an associate curator in the Preparation and Mammology departments. Among his assistants were the sculptors James Lippett Clark, Robert Henry Rockwell, Charles Robert Knight and Louis P. Jonas. In 1921 Akeley went to the Virunga Mountains to collect mountain gorilla specimens for a diorama exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History. The killing of his first gorilla, a silverback which he named The Old Man of Mikeno after the mountain of the same name, was a turning point for Akeley. Looking into the dead gorilla's face, he had a change of heart. Recognizing the species' similarity to humans, he no longer wanted to destroy gorillas. He recognized their rarity and the need for research into their natural history. Akeley's party collected five gorillas that today form an integral exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Following this expedition, Akeley urged the Belgian government to create a permanent sanctuary for the mountain gorillas, and became instrumental in the establishment of the Albert National Park located in the Congo in Africa, in 1925. SALESROOM NOTICE Please note that the Albert National Park is located in the Congo in Africa, not in Canada as written in the catalogue. Please also note that another model of Old Man of Mikeno is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Natural History and is presently on view in the primate wing.