Robinson & Leadbeater
Greek Slave

CultureEnglish
Titles
  • Greek Slave
Datec.1860–1880
Made inStoke-on-Trent, England
MediumPorcelain (parian ware)
Dimensions11 1/2 × 3 3/8 in. (29.2 × 8.5 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by First Interstate Bank of Texas, N.A. at "One Great Night in November, 1992"
Object numberB.92.18
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Belter Parlor
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionHiram Powers’s Greek Slave was one of nineteenth-century America’s most famous works of art, receiving much public attention and acclaim as Powers put two versions of the sculpture on tour beginning in 1847. The sculpture referred to the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, depicting a captive white Christian woman. Framed in this context, Powers’ work avoided direct comment on the issue of slavery in the United States, allowing viewers to see in it an abolitionist message if they chose. This version in parian porcelain—meant to imitate marble—was one of many smaller, mass-produced copies that Americans were able to buy to display in their homes.
Provenance[Joan Bogart, Rosslyn, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1992.
Exhibition History"A Present from the Staffordshire Potteries," Theta Charity Antiques Show of Houston, George R. Brown Convention Center, September 23–26, 2004.

"Art Across America," National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Korea, February 4–May 19, 2013; Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon, Korea, June 17–September 1, 2013.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Daniel Webster
Thomas Ball
1853
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.86.1
Pitcher
William Bloor's East Liverpool Porcelain Works
c. 1861–1862
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.90.15
Imposing on Good Nature
Daniel Chester French
1872
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.2011.3.1
Retribution
Daniel Chester French
1872
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.2011.3.2
Pitcher
United States Pottery Company
c. 1852–1858
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.97.18
Pitcher
United States Pottery Company
c. 1852–1858
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.97.17
Pitcher
United States Pottery Company
c. 1852–1858
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.98.17
scan of file photograph
United States Pottery Company
c. 1852–1858
Porcelain (parian ware) and pewter
B.98.18
Pitcher
United States Pottery Company
c. 1852–1858
Porcelain (parian ware)
B.99.9
Sarcophagus of a Youth
500–300 BC
Parian marble
2001.7.A,.B
Compote
Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory
19th century
Hard paste porcelain
71.115
Figural Group of Louis XVI and Benjamin Franklin
Niderviller Porcelain Factory
c. 1781–1785
Hard-paste porcelain (biscuit)
B.2024.3