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Figure of a seated African youth

Greek or Roman
Hellenistic or Imperial Period
1st century B.C. or 1st century A.D.

Medium/Technique Black steatite
Dimensions Height (with plinth): 9.3 cm (3 11/16 in.)
Credit Line Henry Lillie Pierce Fund
Accession Number01.8210
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsSculpture
People of African origin, whether enslaved or free, were a regular presence in major cities such as Rome and Alexandria during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. This statuette explores both the emotional condition and the ethnic character of an African captive, exemplifying artists' interest in realistically representing the cosmopolitan diversity of their expanding world.

Carved out of highly polished black stone, the small figure displays features characteristic of an ethnic African, including high cheekbones, a broad nose, large deep-set eyes, thick lips, and tightly curled hair radiating in rows from the top of the head. He wears a belt around his nude body, and his ears are pierced for metal earrings (now lost). The meticulous articulation of his bony body and the precise way his feet meet, with big toes playfully overlapping, suggest that the artist may have observed a particular individual directly. Shackled around the ankles, the youth conveys determined resistance to captivity through his puffed-up cheeks, clenched fists, and taut body.

The compact form of this seated figure was roughly hollowed out to serve as a box; a cover once slid into a groove on the underside of the square base. A number of similar containers in the shape of African captives have been found in clay, bronze, and stone. Apparently a popular stereotype, these figures may give visual expression to a common Roman nickname for slaves-"he who waits." The use of African subjects to decorate utilitarian objects (inkwells, oil jars, pepper casters, and so on) surely plays on their role as servants. Some may also have functioned as toys, since elite children often played with slaves their own age.

Catalogue Raisonné Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 112; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 109 (additional published references); Highlights: Classical Art (MFA), p. 169.
DescriptionHighly polished statuette in the shape of a squatting black youth that served as a lid for a box, possibly a child's toy. The youth has distinctive ethnic features, tightly curled hair in rows radiate from the top of his head, a broad nose, and thick lips. The eyes are especially deep with irises incised. His is pouting so that his cheeks are puffed up, his brow is furrowed and his lips are pressed together. His hands are clenched in a fist and held up to his cheek; his chin rests on his knees which are drawn up tightly to his body. There are holes in each ear presumably for earrings of precious material; he wears a belt around his waist, and there are rings around his ankles which could be shackles, or bracelets. Because the toes are so well defined, it appears he is barefoot.

The condition is excellent, with slight discoloration from the earth, in the most deeply carved areas, such as the grooves. The polished surfaces have some pitting.

ProvenanceBy 1901: with Edward Perry Warren (according to Warren's records: Forman Sale Pt. II); 1901: purchased by MFA from Edward Perry Warren

(Although the piece was published in Sculpture in Stone as found at Corinth, this provenance does not appear in Warren's records and seems likely to be incorrect. MBC)