Bronze edition: 60 | Height: 22″
…Queen Anne who presented to the four Mohawk Kings expensive red blankets trimmed in gold…
Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow was the name of this Mohawk king. Born about 1670, “Brant”, as this man was known to the English, grandfather of the famous Joseph Brant, visited London in 1710 along with three other Mohawk kings in a diplomatic mission to Queen Anne who presented to the four Mohawk Kings expensive red blankets trimmed in gold among other gifts. To go along with his imposing physical stature, Brant also sported an elaborate tattoo covering much of his upper body, which could only add to his impressive appearance.
“When the four Indian kings walked the streets of London, they had no equal!”
The Indian kings, at heights of 6′ and over, were considerably taller than the average Englishman of their day. A surviving handbill from that 1710 visit confirmed the regard with which they were held, announcing “a demonstration for Queen Anne in which one of ye Mohawk kings would run down and slay a deer!” Daniel DeFoe, living in London at the time, observed that despite the obsession of the wealthier classes with appearances, “when the four Indian kings walked the streets of London, they had no equal!” – a combination of their physical stature, their costume and “above all else their regal bearing”.
See also the larger sculpture King of the Maquas.
