Francis Harwood, 1726/7–1783, British, active in ItalyFormerly attributed to Studio of Francis Harwood, 1726/7–1783, British, active in ItalyFormerly attributed to Francis Harwood, 1726/7–1783, British, active in Italy
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B2006.14.11
Gallery Label:
At a time when most Africans living in Europe and its colonies were enslaved, and their depictions in Western art were largely demeaning, this remarkable bust presents its subject as dignified and autonomous. The figure’s power offers an alternative vision of the Black experience in eighteenth-century Europe, though little is known about the circumstances of the bust’s creation. For years, its artist was unknown, until the discovery of a second version that was signed and dated led to this work’s proper attribution. From his studio in Florence, Harwood sculpted copies of antiquities for his British clientele, many of whom were tourists. Unlike most of his output, this bust was Harwood’s own composition, though the identity of his model remains a mystery. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2025
