Blackamoor
Artistattributed to
Giovanni Giuliani
(Italian, 1633 - 1744)
Datec. 1722-28
MediumPolychromed and gilded terracotta with wooden base
Dimensions15 3/4 x 15 x 9 7/8 in. (40 x 38.1 x 25.1 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineMuseum purchase, 1949
Object numberSN7270
Exotic subjects fascinated eighteenth-century Venetian artists and patrons. Fancifully dressed slave figures, called Blackamoors, were especially popular in the decorative arts. These two striking figures were probably candle holders. With their full red lips, short broad noses, and tightly curled hair, the sculptures represent eighteenth-century stereotypes of Africans. Although their plumed headbands and elaborate gold costumes are more Turkish-inspired, artists tended to conflate the image of the Moor (a Muslim from Spain or North Africa) with that of the Turk betokening Venice’s long-standing trade connections with the Near East.
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