Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object |
Figurine |
Title |
Greek Slave |
Artist/Creator |
Powers, Hiram |
Description |
Parian figure after Hiram Powers' "Greek Slave" by an unknown maker. Statue is hollow and very light; nude young woman standing with one hand on draped stand next to her, double chain goes from wrist to wrist. |
Height (inches) |
7.500 |
Information |
This is a parian model of Hiram Power’s statue "The Greek Slave" created in 1844. Hiram Powers was born in Woodstock, Vermont in 1805 and this statue made him an international superstar. He subsequently made 5 more versions, two of which toured the United States 1847-1851. The statue was inspired by Greece's struggle for independence in the 1820s, but many Americans talked about it in context to their own country’s issues with slavery. This copy is made of parian clay, which was so called because it resembled marble from the island of Paros. Victorian potteries did booming business making ceramic copies of famous sculptures for the middle class market. The United States Pottery in Bennington was the first to manufacture parianware in the US and advertised copies of The Greek Slave among their wares made in preparation for the 1853 New York Crystal Palace Exhibition. This statue and another parian Greek Slave in our collection are both unmarked, but these are the type of ware that were being produced in 1850s Bennington. |
Related People |
Powers, Hiram |
Credit line |
Museum Purchase |
Catalog Number |
1986.40 |