The Royal Foundry in Munich was the leading center for bronze casting in the mid-nineteenth century. Located "on the outskirts of the city, on the road leading to the Nymphenburg Palace," the foundry was created by King Ludwig I of Bavaria (1786-1868), but was long associated with the name of its second director, Ferdinand von Miller (1813-1887). Born in Fürstenfeldbruck, a small town not far from Munich, Miller was the nephew of Johann Baptist Stiglmaier
(1791-1844), who was the first Inspector of the Royal Foundry from 1824 until his death. Stiglmaier traveled to Naples in 1817 to learn bronze casting and then returned to Munich to build the royal foundry, where young Ferdinand worked
as an apprentice. In 1833 von Miller traveled to Paris to increase his knowledge and understanding of foundry practices and worked for the French sculptor and founder A. (or N.) Soyer (fl. ca. 1844). Von Miller returned to Munich and,
upon the death of his uncle, was named director of the Royal Foundry.