A muscular, nearly nude Black man reclines on a lion’s skin in this freestanding bronze sculpture. In this photograph, his head is to our left and his feet extend to our right. His face tips down, and he has short, curly hair, a furrowed brow, and a small, rounded nose. His full lips are closed, and he has hollows in his cheeks. He leans onto his right elbow, closer to us, which rests on an object, perhaps a basket. His right knee is raised so that foot is flat on the ground. He clutches the bent leg just below the knee with his other hand, and his left leg stretches long. The lion’s head,…
Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Window mode follows your eyes with your camera, in this browser only: no picture or position leaves your device.

Allegory of Africa

Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (French, 1834 - 1904)

model 1863/1865, cast date unknown

Medium
bronze
Classification
Sculpture
Dimensions
overall: 31.8 x 50.6 x 16.8 cm (12 1/2 x 19 15/16 x 6 5/8 in.)
Culture
French
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CSD
Credit line
Gift of the 50th Anniversary Gift Committee
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Adult profiles and older: its museum's description or title mentions nudity. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art