Pairs of Figures from the Four Continents

Description

Often collected by wealthy British merchants who were beneficiaries of colonial expansion, figural groups were frequently part of elaborate table decorations meant to signify wealth and global prominence. In one pair, Europe is seen holding an orb and wearing a crown as queen of the world, suggesting Europe’s supremacy over the other continents. She is entangled with America, who is wearing feathers with a bow and arrow at her feet. Africa, who wears an elephant headdress and holds a scorpion in one hand, wrestles with Asia, who is surrounded by perfumes and native fruits. Today we recognize these depictions of America, Africa, and Asia as racial stereotypes, revealing a purely imagined understanding of other cultures and continents at the time.

Provenance

Mary Warden Harkness [1864-1916], New York, NY, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?-1916); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1917-)

Pairs of Figures from the Four Continents

Chelsea Porcelain Factory

c. 1760

Accession Number

1917.601

Medium

soft-paste porcelain

Dimensions

Part 1: 24.6 x 18.9 x 16.9 cm (9 11/16 x 7 7/16 x 6 5/8 in.); Part 2: 23.5 x 17.6 x 18.7 cm (9 1/4 x 6 15/16 x 7 3/8 in.)

Classification

Ceramic

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of Mary Warden Harkness