Appeal to the Great Spirit Bronze Sculpture by Cyrus Dallin

In Bronzes of the American West, Patricia Janis Broder wrote, “The fourth and final statue in Dallin’s Indian cycle is Appeal to the Great Spirit. The Indian cause is lost. The red man has been totally defeated by the white man, both through negotiations and in combat. In his despair, he can only turn and pray to heaven for help and deliverance. The Indian sits on his horse, his arms outstretched and his head thrown backward, searching the heavens for a signal of deliverance. His horse stands motionless. Both man and horse exhibit a sense of stoicism and dignity. Here again, the simplicity of Dallin’s approach adds to the dramatic strength of the work.

“Dallin’s cycle of the American Indian was one of the most important contributions to Western bronze sculpture. Wayne Craven wrote that these statues ‘carried the imagery of the red man to its finest expression in sculptural form. Dallin in these works achieved a true monumentality, bestowing upon his subjects those innate qualities that had been almost wholly obscured to the eyes of the white man during the decades of hatred and conflict.’”

This statue by Dallin of a native American sitting on a horse and praying to the spirit is reproduced in the finest American bronze, cast in a golden brown or dark brown patina and then hand-rubbed to bring out detail and highlights. The statue is then mounted on a black marble base with an etched brass nameplate.