Allegorical figure of America

1752-54

In the figure of America, the Indian’s tranquility, as she peacefully offers up her arrows while a caiman (a member of the alligator family found in Central and South America) curls about her feet, may be read as an allegory of innocence and unity with nature. In the Age of Enlightenment, Europeans viewed America as the perfect symbol of untouched wilderness.

Hard paste porcelain

10 x 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (25.4 x 13.97 x 8.9 cm)

Gift of Martha and Henry Isaacson

81.8

Photo: Susan Dirk

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe", February 17, 2000-May 7, 2000 (2/17/2000 - 5/7/2000)

Published References"Selected Works." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, pp. 96-97

Emerson, Julie, Jennifer Chen, & Mimi Gardner Gates, "Porcelain Stories, From China to Europe". Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 2000, p. 233

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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