Dr. Henry Shiff

Translated inscription: "My great friend Doctor Henry Schiff at the age of 47. Lover of toads and the smells of Rome, dilletante in philosophy and the fine arts, in love with the feline types. In Paris, the month of May, 1880. Augustus Saint-Gaudens made this." One of Saint-Gaudens's closest friends, Schiff led a similarly international life. He was born in New Orleans, educated in France, served as a surgeon in the Confederate Army, briefly practiced medicine in New York City, and then retired to Rome. Saint-Gaudens named his son Homer Schiff Saint-Gaudens in honor of their friendship. Schiff was a collector of oriental bronzes, especially of toads and frogs, which perhaps explains the vignette of the toad on this relief. The portrait is one of the five reliefs that Saint-Gaudens exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1879.