Manacled Slave / On the Sea Shore
Entry ID
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76 (21/01/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Manacled Slave / On the Sea Shore
Previous title(s)
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The American Slave
Description of the sculpture
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Full length, semi-nude female figure standing beside a tree stump. There are shells and footprints shown near her feet indicating that she may be on a beach. The figure is depicted looking upwards while her hands are manacled at the wrist with a chain hanging by her side. There are holes in her earlobes indicating that she may have been originally depicted wearing earrings.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Statuette
Base
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No base
Dimensions
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Height: 54 cm
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Width: 14.7 cm
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Depth: 14.7 cm
Materials
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Bronze
Specific techniques used
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Casting
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Patination
Overall colour
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Monochrome – brown
Inscriptions
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Reverse, base of tree stump: 'John Bell / Elkington and Co Founders'
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Anonymous: generic/idealised type
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Female
Age
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Adult
Status
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Enslaved
Clothing
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Partially clothed
Evidence of enslavement
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Manacles with/without chains
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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Earrings (often a single pearl)
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‘Exotic’ costume/dress
Action or activity
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Standing
Emotional state
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Wistful
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking upwards
Sculptural context
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Indeterminate
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
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Nineteenth century (1800-1899)
Date of Production
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1877
Date inferred from
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Recorded in related documentation
Original purpose
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Decorative
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Didactic / Propagandistic
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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BE39
Provenance history
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1882: bequeathed to Aberystwyth University School of Art Museum and Galleries by George E.J. Powell
Notes
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John Bell created "Manacled Slave / On the Sea Shore" as a direct response to "The Greek Slave" by American sculptor, Hiram Powers.
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/45, . and http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/666, . (no date) ‘Manacled Slave / On the Sea Shore’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/665
