The portrait was modeled and carved in Italy, but it is now held by the Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin, Texas.

In May 1865, German sculptor Elisabet Ney traveled to the small Sardinian island of Caprera to seek out the prominent Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose portrait she had decided to sculpt.

Garibaldi is depicted in his late fifties, with his characteristic long hair and full, curly beard.

The figure is unclothed, showing the subject's bare shoulders and upper chest, and the name "GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI" is inscribed in the front of the base.

The figure's pose is neutral, and the facial expression is distant with unincised eyes, reflecting Ney's neoclassical training and sensibilities.