ITALIAN, 18TH CENTURY

The depiction of blackamoors in art has existed since antiquity, but busts of the subject in varied attire executed in multicoloured marbles or scagliola became increasingly popular in the seventeenth century as trade links with Africa and the Orient provided the western world with new images of previously unknown races. They were collected and disseminated throughout Europe by Grand Tourists who visited Italy. The busts demonstrated not only their owner's taste and culture but also their extensive travels.