What do you see going on in this work of art? Is there a story depicted?

This is a statue of a Greek female slave. Her peaceful goddess like presence juxtaposes this fact and it increases our sympathy towards her. This statue was made around the time of the civil war so it had a greater message for Americans and the British about other women who were enslaved like mulatto and African American Women.

What different visual elements (ie: line, color, light, proportions, scale, composition, media type etc.) do you notice, and how do they help you make sense of the artwork?

There’s a lot of different texture in the sculpture itself and you can see a cross on the fabric beside her. You can see the folds, tassels, and laces on the fabric. Small anatomical details such as her cuticles are depicted showing the artists dedication. She is chained up, explaining the title. It is neoclassical so she is presented in the nude as a reference to Ancient Greek and Roman statues . There is a juxtaposition between the form of her looking like a goddess and the subject matter of her being a slave. There can also be something said about how she is an object of another person and how she is going to be sold.

What choices do you think the museum made about the object’s display?

– on a pedestal which puts the Greek slave girl above us
-direct lighting allows the silhouette’s shadow to be cast on the wall

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