A porcelain allegorical female figure of 'America', sitting across the back of a dark green alligator or crocodile. The figure's skin is porcelain-white, with touches of pink on her extremities, and her facial features painted in. Her dark brown hair is loose over her shoulders. Her head is turned to our left, gazing toward the parrot that perches on her uplifted right hand. The parrot is white, with green, red, and yellow head and wings, and a dark beak. 'America' holds a large, spiraling white cornucopia filled with various colored fruits in her left arm. She wears a headdress, cape, and low-slung short skirt of bright multicolored feathers, painted in yellow, orangey red, teal green, blue, and purple. She wears a jeweled gold belt around her bare waist and pearl-like garters below her knees. The alligator or crocodile faces right, red toothy mouth opened wide, large red eye looking back at its rider. Its stout legs stand on a white base sprinkled with multicolor flowers and green leaves.

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Object Timeline

1960	We acquired this object.
2015	We photographed this object.
2018	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We exhibited this object.
2020	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object.
2024	You found it!

Allegorical Figure of "America" Figure

This is a figure. It was attributed to Johann Joachim Kändler and Peter Reinicke and produced by Meissen Porcelain Factory and manufactured by Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. It is dated ca. 1760 and we acquired it in 1960. Its medium is hard paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

Following the incursions of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci onto the continent, America began to feature in European allegorical representations of the known world. “She” was most often portrayed as a semi-nude indigenous woman adorned with feathers and accompanied by birds, crocodiles, and other exotic animals. This representation promoted the perception of the New World as lush, exotic, and docile—suited to conquest. Despite her elaborate feathered cape, skirt, and headdress, Meissen’s depiction of America—made by its most celebrated modeler—is still bare-breasted. While most Europeans would not have actually journeyed to the Americas, expedition chronicles helped to cement these tropes, which appeared frequently in works of art and design made in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries.

This object was donated by Estate of James Hazen Hyde. It is credited Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde.

Its dimensions are

H x W x D: 26.9 x 30.2 x 16.7 cm (10 9/16 x 11 7/8 x 6 9/16 in.)

It has the following markings

Underside (unglazed): [1] double crossed swords (?), painted (very faint, Meissen Porcelain Manufactory mark) [2] "776", written in pencil [3] a number (?), written on label (very faded)

It is signed

Unsigned

It is inscribed

Uninscribed

Cite this object as

Allegorical Figure of "America" Figure; Attributed to Johann Joachim Kändler (German, 1706–1775), Peter Reinicke (German, 1715–1768); Produced by Meissen Porcelain Factory (Germany); Manufactured by Meissen Porcelain Manufactory (Germany); Germany; hard paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold; H x W x D: 26.9 x 30.2 x 16.7 cm (10 9/16 x 11 7/8 x 6 9/16 in.); Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde; 1960-1-28-d

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Rebeca Méndez Selects.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/48K6M/
Accession Number 1960-1-28-d
Object ID 35460259