Rare Figure Of A Young Moor "blackamoor" In Lacquered Wood And Fabric Clothing, 19th Century

Interesting decorative figure depicting a young Moor, with head, hands and feet made of black lacquered wood, showing a beautiful aged patina and natural surface wear. The figure retains a small pearl earring and wears antique fabric clothing, including a red jacket, ochre shirt and striped trousers, all with great charm and character.

The elegant pose, upward gaze and expressive quality of the face give the piece a strong decorative and theatrical presence. Rectangular wooden base.

This figure belongs to the European taste for the exotic which, between the 18th and 19th centuries, enriched aristocratic interiors, collectors’ salons and cabinets of curiosities. So-called “Moorish” or “blackamoor” figures evoked a distant, theatrical and imagined world, associated with travel, spices, silks, Mediterranean trade and Orientalist fascination. They were decorative objects, but also conversation pieces, reflecting the European desire to collect, represent and symbolically possess what appeared rare, remote and marvellous.

Before modern collecting was formally defined, such works already answered an early taste for curiosity and exception: not merely furnishing objects, but scenic presences created to surprise and captivate the viewer. The elegant pose, the combination of materials — lacquered wood, fabric and pearl — and the preserved aged condition make this example especially evocative.

Period: 19th century
Materials: lacquered wood, fabric, pearl
Condition: aged patina, wear, losses and fraying consistent with age