‘The Black Figure in the European Imaginary’ studies the way in which the visual arts in Europe perceived , or imagined, the black figure during the long 19th century (c1750-1914) prompted by growing contact through colonisation, through the slave trade, and the fascination with all things African an Oriental, images of black people proliferated in all art forms across continental Europe. Such representations had multiple meanings, depending on the context in which they were created. With 40 major loans, including paintings, engravings and lithographs, watercolours, sculpture and decorative arts, from international and private collections, this accessible new volume makes a significant contribution to the growing scholarship on the subject. 55 colour illustrations