Why Born Enslaved!
1867
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827–1875)
Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Why Born Enslaved!, 1867. Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827–1875). Plaster, original polychromed surface; 67 cm (26 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2022.2 One of the most powerful expressions of abolitionist sentiment in the visual arts, Why Born Enslaved! depicts an African woman bound by ropes and looking defiantly upward. The ropes press painfully into her breasts; her torn blouse alludes to the violence responsible for her condition. The original, polychromed surface is covered with complex, nuanced hatchings and subtle modeling. Evidence indicates that this masterpiece of 19th-century French sculpture served as the master model for numerous casts in other museum collections. Although officially abolished in France since 1848, slavery remained a hotly contested issue in Carpeaux’s time as it remained legal or tolerated in various countries around the world.
- Maker/Artist
- Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Plaster, original polychromed surface
- Medium
- plaster, original, polychromed, surface
- Dimensions
- 67 cm (26 3/8 in.)
- Departments
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Accession Number
- 2022.2
- Credit Line
- Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 201 French Neoclassical Painting & Sculpture
Have a concern, a correction, or something to add?
