Kneeling Black woman

Kneeling Black woman

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The sculptor of this statuette likely chose to depict a Black woman because of the dark color of the rosewood, which was newly introduced to Europe from Portugal’s colonial outposts in Brazil. The sexualized pose references a classical sculpture of Venus, goddess of love. Through its material and subject, this sculpture reflects the associations Europeans made among people of Black African descent, foreign raw materials, luxury, and sexuality. This collector’s piece was designed to be handled and closely observed, further complicating its meaning and legacy.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.