This glass sculpture was inspired by 200 year-old bottles of rum found in Harewood’s cellars.
Its coloured glass, bound by copper wire and rope, represents the enslaved individuals who produced the Harewood rum, almost certainly based at one of the Lascelles family’s sugar plantations in the Caribbean.
The title of the piece Under the Influence, is a play on words, referencing both the nature of rum as an alcohol, but also the fact that slavery was pervasive across British society.
Under the Influence was produced for Chris Day’s solo exhibition in All Saints’ Church at Harewood in 2021.
Further reading
Chris Day's sculptures explore the treatment of Black people in Britain, America and the Caribbean, particularly in relation to the history of the Transatlantic trade in enslaved African people during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Craft Spotlight: Chris Day

The Harewood Rum Story

Craft Spotlight: Chris Day

The Harewood Rum Story
More Black History

Rum bottles
- Black History

Rum bottles
- Black History
Explore our Collections
Harewood House Trust, boasts an incredible collection of furniture, ceramics, and paintings, as well as gardens and grounds brimming with plants from around the world.

British Portraiture

Italian Old Masters

British Furniture

Sino-Himalayan Plants

British Portraiture

Italian Old Masters

British Furniture
