Modern · Smithsonian American Art Museum · saam_1882.1.4
"Ha! I Like Not That"
John Rogers, patented 1882
Smithsonian American Art Museum · Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Rogers and Son · CC0 · Public domain
- Artist
- John Rogers
- Date
- patented 1882
- Medium
- painted plaster
- Dimensions
- 22 x 20 3/4 x 14 3/8 in. (55.8 x 52.6 x 36.5 cm)
- Era
- Modern
Why it matters
For this statuette illustrating a scene from Shakespeare's Othello, John Rogers conveys the play's setting--Renaissance Venice--through swords, ceramics, feathers, brocades, leather, and lace. These bring to life a pivotal scene in which the vile Iago, on the far left, plants the seeds of murderous jealousy in Othello, whose wife, Desdemona, appears to receive inappropriate attentions from a rival. A luxurious collar accentuates Desdemona's beauty, while a dagger hints at Iago's treachery. Through such historical detail, this parlor statue fueled Americans' popular conception of Venice as a place of adventure, romance, and above all, sensual excess.