Donald Richard Miller (American, 1925-1989), AYA-TOCHTLI (Nahuatl for Tortoise-Rabbit)

1971, patinated bronze, signature not found, mounted atop an oak veneered base.

9 1/2 x 17 1/2 x 9 3/4 in.

Following his service in World War II, Miller studied at the Dayton (Ohio) Art Institute (1947-52); the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn (1955-57); the Art Students League in New York (1958-61); and privately with Ulysses A. Ricci (1956-60). Don was a specialist in animal sculpture and his works include the Thoreau Medal for the Society of Medalists (1962); two reliefs for the Cincinnati Zoo (1975); another for the Philadelphia Zoo (1973); and gargoyles for Washington Cathedral (1976). He was a member of the faculty of the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, from 1972 until his death, and was a frequent contributor to and served on the editorial board of Sculpture Review, the publication of the National Sculpture Society. He was a vice president of the Society of Animal Artists for which he designed a medal.

Some minor areas of oxidation spotting to patina; some veneer losses to base.