Virginia addresses the issues of invasion, colonialism, and cultural conflict. Erickson drew from multiple historical sources for this piece, including traditional English slipware techniques and Theodore de Bry’s late-sixteenth-century engravings of the indigenous Virginians. Erickson was struck by deBry’s highly stylized and classically proportioned renderings, which she found reminiscent of Roman gods. Virginia depicts a Native American “prince” whose head is overpainted with symbols of the British Empire. The intertwined rose and thistle represent the national flowers of England and Scotland; the “war paint” emblazoned across his face, Union Jack. While this decoration unmistakably emphasizes the demise of Native American culture at the hands of the British settlers in early America, other imagery is more specialized. The form and decoration of the headdress emulate English pottery that was adorned with images of pomegranates. This symbol of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden suggests the last moments of Paradise unspoiled. Virginia stands as a powerful statement on empire building, cultural oppression, and the long reach of colonialism.
