Statue of an African woman - Belleisle Conservatory

This terracotta statue of an African woman was manufactured in 1881 as a decorative piece (there is at least one other identical figure in existence) by the German-based ceramics firm of Villeroy & Boch. It was probably acquired for the conservatory by the Paisley thread manufacturer George Coats and his wife Margaret Lothian Black, who purchased Belleisle in 1886 and were avid collectors of art objects. There is no connection with slavery.