Brooch of an African

Description This enameled brooch is made in the shape of a manacled, kneeling African in rich attire. The casualness of the insensitivity is breath taking today, but it was consistent with early 18th-century court-centered views on the inevitability of hierarchy as a reflection of natural law; every creature and thing had its God-given place. So-called "Baroque pearls" that naturally took irregular shapes posed a challenge that jewelry and ornament designers, especially ones with clients at the court in Dresden, loved as a test of their ingenuity. The tension between the soft sensual aesthetic of the pearl and the hard edge sparkle of the diamonds was much favored in these circles. The piece involves some latter alterations that are under research.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
5/24/1984	Examination	examined for technical analysis
5/09/1991	Examination	examined for condition

Exhibitions

• World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1971-1972.
• Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1979-1980.
• Objects of Adornment: Five Thousand Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. 1984-1987.
• Jewelry from the Walters Art Gallery and the Zucker Family Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1987.
• The Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize 2014 Finalists. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2014.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters