During the nineteenth century, tourists visiting Italy on the grand tour frequently commissioned sculptors to make copies of well-known sculptures from public collections. For many young artists, these minor commissions brought much-needed income while providing an academic exercise to improve their skills.

Copy after Michelangelo's Moses
carved 1875
marble
26 3/4 x 11 1/2 x 13 5/8 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred T. Morris, Jr.