La Négresse
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
(French, 1827-1875)
Date1868
MediumBronze
Dimensions13 3/8 in. (34 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift of Frederik Lek, 1963
Object numberSN5026
In 1867, Jean Baptiste Carpeaux received the commission for a monumental fountain for the gardens of the Observatoire in Paris. The Observatoire, from which the geographical position of Paris was measured, was symbolized by the Four Parts of the World represented as four nude women supporting a globe within an armillary sphere. The model for the fountain was accepted and shown at the Salon of 1872, and the actual fountain was erected in 1873-74. La Négresse is a study cast for the larger sculpture Africa that is part of the fountain. The inscription at the bottom of the bust reads, "Pourquoi naître esclave?" or "Why was I born a slave?"
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