Porcelain sculptures like this reflected emerging European perceptions of people and cultures from Africa and Asia, often reinforcing inaccurate and ultimately harmful ideas about race and power. The Turkish ruler is imagined lounging in a lavish setting, rather than depicted in an authoritative stance. Though Black Africans could be important officials in the Ottoman Empire, the figure shown here is a servant. As you view this sculpture, consider the ways art like this impacted the worldview of the wealthy Europeans who owned it.
Details
| Artist | after a model by Peter Reinicke, German, 1715-1768 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, German, founded 1710 |
| Modeler | after a model by Johann Joachim Kändler, German, 1706-1775 |
| Title |
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| Date | ca. 1749 |
| Medium | hard-paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold; bronze, gold |
| Dimensions | Overall: 15 3/8 × 14 1/2 × 8 7/8 inches (39.1 × 36.8 × 22.5 cm) |
| Credit Line | Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, Gilbert B.and Lila Silverman, and the Visiting Committee for European Sculputure and Decorative Arts |
| Accession Number | 2004.11 |
| Department | European Sculpture and Dec Arts |
| On View | Fashionable Living: S330.7, Level 3 (see map) |
Signed, Marks, Inscriptions
| Marks | Marks, in underglaze blue, under elephant's belly: [crossed swords] |
|---|
Provenance
1990, M. Raymond Esq. (Belchamp Hall, Suffolk, England);
July 4, 1996, sold by (Christie's, London, England) lot 247
(By 2003, Angela Gräfin von Wallwitz, Munich, Germany);
2004-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
July 4, 1996, sold by (Christie's, London, England) lot 247
(By 2003, Angela Gräfin von Wallwitz, Munich, Germany);
2004-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Published References
Gräfin von Wallwitz, A., ed. Meissen Porcelain for Gentlemen. Munich, 2005, St. 416, p. 172; pp. 114-115 (ill.).
Darr, Alan. P. and Brian Gallagher. "Recent acquisitions (2000-2006) of European sculpture and decorative arts at The Detroit Institute of Arts." The Burlington Magazine 149, no. 1251 (June 2007): p. 451, pl. VII (ill.).
You, Yao-Fen. “From Novelty to Necessity: The Europeanization of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate.” In Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate: Consuming the World, ed. Yao-Fen You, Mimi Hellman, and Hope Saska. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2016, p. 27 (ill.); 29; 131, cat. 16.
Bulletin of the DIA: Notable Acquisitions, 2000–2015 89, no. 1/4 (2015): p. 28 (ill.).
Darr, Alan. P. and Brian Gallagher. "Recent acquisitions (2000-2006) of European sculpture and decorative arts at The Detroit Institute of Arts." The Burlington Magazine 149, no. 1251 (June 2007): p. 451, pl. VII (ill.).
You, Yao-Fen. “From Novelty to Necessity: The Europeanization of Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate.” In Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate: Consuming the World, ed. Yao-Fen You, Mimi Hellman, and Hope Saska. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2016, p. 27 (ill.); 29; 131, cat. 16.
Bulletin of the DIA: Notable Acquisitions, 2000–2015 89, no. 1/4 (2015): p. 28 (ill.).
