Joseph Maria Christen was a Swiss sculptor, born in 1767, who showed early artistic talent but was denied a school education. He attended a drawing school in Lucerne in 1785 and traveled to Rome in 1788, where he was introduced to classicist art. He established himself as a sculptor and portrait artist in Zurich, where he had prominent clients and students. However, he experienced hostility from Catholic conservative circles when he attempted to establish an artists' academy in Stans in 1792.
In 1805, he went to Milan and created a bust of Napoleon's herm, which made him widely known in France. He was commissioned to create several works, including portraits of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Gottlieb Konrad Pfeffel, and Alois von Reding. However, he fell out of favor with Ludwig and abandoned his plan to settle in Munich. After traveling to the Congress of Vienna in 1815, he spent most of his time in Germany, working for Ludwig Schwanthaler and others. With increasing age, Christen's mental condition deteriorated, and he spent the last years of his life at Thorberg Castle, the state-run nursing home of the Canton of Bern.