European artists of the 17th through 19th centuries often depicted Black figures wearing pearl ornaments. The dialogue between racial and chromatic blackness paired visually with pearly luminescence resulted in a contrast that evoked notions of luxury, distant lands, and exoticized portrayals of Black bodies. Art historian and curator Adrienne Childs explores the complexities of the Black body that was subjugated and enslaved in one context yet used to showcase luxuries in another.

This lecture is held at the Wadsworth Atheneum, 600 Main Street, Hartford, CT. Meet in the galleries before the lecture to view works from the museum’s European decorative arts collection.

This program is presented by The Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University in partnership with the Wadsworth Atheneum and The Amistad Center for Art & Culture. Additional support provided by the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Fund at the Wadsworth Atheneum.  

Image: Nicholaes Berchem, A Moor Offering a Parrot to a Lady (detail), c. 1660-70, oil on canvas, The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 1961.29