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New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
The Greek Slave
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.

The Greek Slave

Attribution Hiram Powers (American, 1805-1873)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1850
MediumParian porcelain
DimensionsOverall: 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.75.6
Not on view
DescriptionNude woman with her right hand resting on a cloth-covered support and standing on a round plinth. Her arms are joined by a chain. Similar to the "Greek Slave" with slight differences produced by Minton and Company.
Label TextWilliam Beattie Scottish, ca. 1802–1867 The Finding of Moses, ca. 1855 Parian porcelain by Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Ltd., Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.3275 After Hiram Powers American, 1805–1873 The Greek Slave, ca. 1850 Parian porcelain, probably manufactured in Staffordshire, England Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.75.6 Although the glittery surface of these statuettes resembles marble, they are actually made of less-expensive Parian porcelain, a material invented in the 1840s. Manufactured by England’s leading pottery companies, porcelain figurines became popular parlor décor on both sides of the Atlantic. Some firms commissioned artists to produce original designs, while others issued copies of famous statues, like the miniature version of Hiram Powers’ Greek Slave seen here. Subjects referring to slavery in the Mediterranean and ancient worlds often appealed to abolitionists by blending artistic and political values.
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
Longworth Powers
1850s-1860s
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
Longworth Powers
1850s-1860s
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
Hiram Powers
modeled 1866
Image scanned and/or photographed, then color-corrected by Pat Cagney.
Hiram Powers
modeled ca. 1866-67
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
Hiram Powers
modeled 1867, carved ca. 1871
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
Hiram Powers
ca. 1862
Image scanned and/or photographed, then color-corrected by Pat Cagney.
Hiram Powers
modeled ca.1865-67, carved after 1868
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
Hiram Powers
modeled 1843-1844
Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2018.
Hiram Powers
modeled 1852
Image scanned/or photographed from transparency and color corrected by Pat Cagney.
Hiram Powers
modeled 1844
New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.
Hiram Powers
modeled ca. 1860, carved ca. 1865–66