Personification of Africa

Creator Name

Rosalba Carriera, Italian, 1673–1757

Cultural Context

Date

before 1720

Source

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

About the work

"Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum" Object Description

Bust length figure of a black woman, her right breast exposed and holding a scorpion in her right hand. She wears a turban decorated with feathers and jewels, pearl pendant earrings and a close-fitting pearl necklace. Her body is tilted forward and her gaze is directed to the left.

Work details

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Title

Personification of Africa

Creator

Rosalba Carriera, Italian, 1673–1757, Artist

Worktype

portraits; Drawing; Drawing; Portraits; Drawings

Cultural Context

Material

Pastel on paper mounted on canvas

Dimensions

43.8 x 34.2 cm (17 1/4 x 13 7/16 in.);
Frame H x W x D: 58.4 × 49.5 × 5.1 cm (23 in. × 19 1/2 in. × 2 in.)

Technique

Language

Date

before 1720

Provenance

Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde

Style Period

Rights

CC0

Inscription

Location

Italy

Source

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Subject

Topic

All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:

Rosalba Carriera, Italian, 1673–1757, Personification of Africa, before 1720, "Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum", Smithsonian Institution. CC0.

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