Bust of a Young Man

At the time in Venice and in Europe more widely, depictions of people of African descent were often generalised, stereotypical portrayals of clearly enslaved individuals in positions of servitude, or sometimes personifications of the continent of Africa. This bust is unusual as it does not depict any clear markers of enslavement, such as jewellery, shackles, a collar, or a turban. The young man is however wearing a type of tunic was typical for servants at the time, with frogged fastening in the Eastern European or Ottoman style.

People of African descent had been present in Venice since the Middle Ages, and would have almost entirely arrived in the city enslaved. They would have often worked in domestic service, which in Venice included being a gondolier. By the 1700s, only the wealthiest people in Venice employed enslaved African people. Ca’ Rezzonico was a centre of great wealth, so perhaps this bust implied the status and prestige of its aristocratic patrons.