Intaglio
Entry ID
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119 (09/02/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Intaglio
Description of the sculpture
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A miniature bust of an African woman carved from black agate mounted on a white base. She is depicted wearing a draped tunic, a skull-cap and a pendant around her neck.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Bust – Portrait
Base
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Base present - appears to be the original base
Dimensions
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Length: 3.6 cm
Materials
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Other
Specific techniques used
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Carving
Overall colour
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Monochrome – black
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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Free citizen
Clothing
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Wearing clothes – European/Western clothing
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking upwards
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Period of production
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Sixteenth century (1500-1599)
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Seventeenth century (1600-1699)
Date inferred from
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Inferred from stylistic features
Original purpose
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Decorative
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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SLBCameos.244
Provenance history
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1753: bequeathed to the British Museum by Sir Hans Sloane
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
‘Intaglio’ (no date), Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/981
