America, from Allegories of the Four Continents 1781 - 1788

This sculpture, "America, from Allegories of the Four Continents," was made at the Fulda Pottery and Porcelain Manufactory in the late 18th century from delicate porcelain. The sculpture shows a female figure, representing America, standing confidently with a foot resting on what appears to be an alligator. Her pose is classical, but her headdress of feathers speaks to a European idea of the "New World." Porcelain, in this period, was a luxury material, a symbol of wealth and refined taste. The making of porcelain was a complex, labor-intensive process, requiring skilled artisans to mold, fire, and glaze the material. The Fulda factory, like many others in Europe, sought to emulate the success of Meissen porcelain, and in doing so, replicated a social structure as well, one in which the skilled labor of many was concentrated into objects of prestige for a few. This piece thus encapsulates the fraught dynamics of colonialism and class in the 1700s. By focusing on its material and process, we can appreciate both the artistry and the complex social context in which it was created.