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