Africa (part of a set) 1763 - 1767

This porcelain sculpture titled "Africa" was crafted at the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory. As one of a set, it reflects 18th-century European views of the continents, shaped by exploration, colonialism, and the rise of the transatlantic slave trade. The figure, a Black man, is rendered in dark porcelain seated atop what appears to be a pile of goods, draped with fabric. At his feet lies a lion, symbolizing the exoticism and danger associated with the African continent in the European imagination. The man raises his hand to his mouth. Is he eating, or is he gesturing? The sculpture presents a narrative deeply entangled with issues of race, power, and representation. The Black figure is frozen in time and space, reduced to a symbol that serves European fantasies and economic interests. It speaks of the era's dehumanizing attitudes, inviting us to reflect on the legacies of colonialism and the ways in which these historical perceptions continue to shape contemporary discourses.