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"Ha! I Like Not That"

John Rogers, born Salem, MA 1829-died New Canaan, CT 1904

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.

Date

patented 1882

Type

Sculpture

Medium

painted plaster

Department

SAAM

Institution

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Object number

saam_1882.1.4

Credit

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Rogers and Son