Folke Filbyter
By Carl Milles
Category: Sculpture
About
One of Milles’ most mysterious characters is Folke Filbyter. Milles had been inspired by an episode in the Swedish author and Nobel Laureate Verner von Heidenstam’s novel Folkungaträdet when he created Folke Filbyter, who was the heathen ancestor of the Folkunga dynasty. According to an old Swedish myth, Folke Filbyter was searching for his grandson who had been kidnapped by the monks. In this sculpture, he is apparently crossing a brook while engrossed in his search.
Courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Dimensions: 12′ x 8′ x 5′
Year Completed: 1928
Material: Bronze
Owner: On loan from the St. Louis Art Museum
About the artist:
Carl Milles
1875-1955
Milles was born in Sweden and studied sculpture at the Technical School in Stockholm. In 1929, after receiving acclaim in Sweden and having an exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London, he accepted a commission in Chicago that brought about his first visit to the USA. In 1931 he became Professor of Sculpture at Cranbrook Academy in Detroit, Michigan, where he remained for many years. Over his long and productive career, Milles received numerous commissions and exhibited extensively both in the US and abroad. In 1945 he became a US citizen and in 1947 was elected a lifetime member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1951 Milles returned to Sweden where he died in 1955.
