Background
He came from a family of sculptors and woodcarvers and received his first lessons from his father. In 1822, encouraged by letters from one of his father"s former students, he moved to Prague, where he found employment in a woodcarving workshop.
Education
From 1823 to 1824, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under Joseph Bergler.
Career
They had seven children, including the painter Gabriel Max and the photographer/painter Jindřich Břetislav Max (1847-1900). He began to exhibit as early as 1826, but received little recognition except for an award from the Academy for his statue of Germanicus. He applied for a position in the sculpture studios of Václav Prachner, but was rejected.
In 1830, he opened his own studios.
He often collaborated with the architect Joseph Kranner, most notably executing the figures on the monumental fountain dedicated to Francis I, from designs by Kranner. He died of cholera at the age of fifty-one.