Title
"America"
Creator
Date
c. 1900
Description
A porcelain allegorical grouping entitled “America” (German, c. 1900) by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, Dresden, Germany, after an 18th century model by J.J. Kandler (1706-1775). "America" is represented as a semi-nude Native American woman dressed in a multicolored feather headdress, cape, and skirt. She holds a cornucopia filled with gold and gems in one hand, while a parrot perches on the other, and rides upon an alligator with its mouth open and teeth bared. The figures sit on a naturalistic looking rectangular base. The underside is marked with two crossed blue swords.
The theme of the “four continents” as represented by female allegorical figures was popular in Europe in the 18th century. The figures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas were often exoticized and personified false notions of racial superiority compared to their European counterparts. The figure here represents the riches of the Americas, which Europe sought to exploit as colonizing powers, and is depicted in a docile pose, characterizing the paternalistic attitude Europeans held about Native peoples as theirs to subjugate.
The theme of the “four continents” as represented by female allegorical figures was popular in Europe in the 18th century. The figures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas were often exoticized and personified false notions of racial superiority compared to their European counterparts. The figure here represents the riches of the Americas, which Europe sought to exploit as colonizing powers, and is depicted in a docile pose, characterizing the paternalistic attitude Europeans held about Native peoples as theirs to subjugate.
Cultural Origin
German
Medium
porcelain
Extent
11" x 5 5/8"
Collection
Source
Bequest of Mrs. Alletta Morris McBean.
Identifier
PSNC.9048
For more information about this item, please contact its owning institution.