CARPEAUX, Jean-Baptiste
(b. 1827, Valenciennes, d. 1875, Courbevoie)

The Negress

1868
Bronze
Museum of Art, Indianapolis

This bronze is a study for a Parisian monument of the four continents, symbolized by female figures. It is a preparatory work for Africa, presented as a bust rather than a full-length figure. In depicting Africa, Carpeaux emphasized the horrors of slavery, portrayed by a black woman whose breasts and arms are bound by a taut rope.