3-044-053 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Allegorical Group with a Bust of an Architect, 1780-1800. Additional Info: A gracefully posed young woman gestures towards a portrait bust that stands in the center of a large pedestal. Two children attempt to clamber up the pedestal while a dog rests in the back on the base. Around the pedestal, the attributes of an architect--T-square, compass, globe, books, and drawings--are casually placed, composing a still life. While the bust may be a portrait of an unidentified architect, the other figures are allegorical. The dog is a traditional symbol of fidelity, while the two children are symbols of their potential for instruction, referring to the moral, ethical, and utopian roles given to architects in this period. The work was made in several pieces that were joined together before firing. Except for the woman's head, which is hollow, each of the figures is made of solid clay.