The Greek Slave, the first publicly exhibited, life-size American sculpture depicting a fully nude female figure, met with unprecedented popular and critical success. Arguably the most famous American sculpture ever, the Slave not only won Hiram Powers international acclaim but also enhanced the overseas reputation of American art and culture. After completing his first Greek Slave in 1844—now in the collection of Raby Castle, England—Powers produced five full-size replicas. William Wilson Corcoran purchased this marble, the first of those replicas, in 1851. 

The event that established the Greek Slave as one of America’s most celebrated works of art was the 1847–1851 tour of two versions of the sculpture, including the Corcoran’s, around the eastern United States. Aware that the Slave’s nudity might provoke disapproval on the part of a conservative American art audience, Powers was careful to exhibit his marble with texts that stressed the subject’s “high moral and intellectual beauty.”

The figure’s nudity increased its notoriety. However, the work’s acclaim in the United States in the mid-19th century stemmed also from its relationship to recent and contemporary political events.  Powers chose a subject inspired by Greece’s struggle for independence in the 1820s; many literary, artistic, and critical responses to the sculpture linked it to the ongoing debate over American slavery.

William Wilson Corcoran displayed the prized sculpture prominently in his Washington mansion, where it attracted enormous publicity and confirmed his reputation as a discerning collector. In Florence, Powers was overwhelmed by the demand for more full-size versions and busts. The sculpture’s popularity also permeated popular culture, inspiring everything from miniature reproductions and designs for chewing-tobacco tins to poetry and sheet music.

(source; Corcoran website)

You can find the bust of this sculpture, also created by Powers, here!

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.