Allegory of America, from "The Four Continents"

Allegory of America, from "The Four Continents" by Adriaen Collaert|Maerten de Vos

Medium

Engraving; second state

Dimensions

8 3/8 x 10 1/16 in. (21.3 x 25.6 cm) (clipped)

Classification

Prints

Department

Drawings and Prints

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde, 1959

Accession Number

59.654.10

Tags

AnimalsBattlesBow and ArrowFemale Nudes

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, where *Allegory of America, "The Four Continents (1580–1600) captivates with its vivid Renaissance imagery. Created by Flemish artist Maerten de Vos, who designed the composition, and master engraver Adriaen Collaert, this second-state engraving measures 8 3/8 x 10 1/16 inches. It personifies America as a dynamic female nude, surrounded by symbolic elements like fierce animals, battle scenes, and a bow and arrow—evoking the European imagination of the New World as a wild, untamed frontier during the Age of Exploration....

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