Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - Asia, from The Four Continents

Preview image of work. engraving on paper, Asia, from The Four Continents 11936

1994.10.335

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Asia, from The Four Continents

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Artists

Claes Jansz. Visscher (Piscator) (1587 – 1652); [after Cornelis van Dalen the Younger]

Title

Asia, from The Four Continents

Creation Date

ca. 1950

Century

mid 16th-early 17th century

Dimensions

8 7/8 in. x 6 9/16 in. (22.5 cm. x 16.7 cm.)

Object Type

Creation Place

Europe, Netherlands

Medium and Support

engraving on paper

Credit Line

Gift of David P. Becker, Class of 1970

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1994.10.335

Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans often depicted the four continents as female allegories. Here, the allegorical figures are in various states of despair, mourning the death of Portuguese prince Theodosius III (d. 1653). Broken weaponry and armor connect the scenes, suggesting the continuous battles for military power among these groups and competing empires. These personifications also reveal European sentiments about each continent. Cloaked in fine silk and a turban, Asia rides an elephant. Europe, astride a bull, wears an ornate helmet and shield with a spear in hand, signaling the military power and control held by the continent.

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