Allegory of America, from New Inventions of Modern Times (Nova Reperta), plate 1 of 19
This is the first plate from the series entitled Nova Reperta, which surveys new inventions and discoveries made during the Renaissance from a European perspective. In this engraving, the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci is shown as he first encounters America. Stradanus presents the continent as an allegorical figure; a sexualized young woman gesturing towards Vespucci from her hammock. She wears only a feathered headdress and skirt, her club abandoned against the tree at the right, where an anteater is shown feasting. Set behind her in the rolling landscape are other animals associated with the Americas—a horse and a bear. Also depicted is a scene of cannibalism.
The representation of the Four Continents—Africa, America, Asia and Europe—as female allegorical figures with their so-called attributes has a long history and was standardized in the late sixteenth century by Cesare Ripa in his influential emblem book Iconologia. Since such allegories were almost exclusively the work of white male European artists, they represent a biased point of view and promote a Christian Eurocentric sense of self that epitomizes formative habits of racial and gender stereotyping.
Here, Vespucci carries a staff with a crucifix at its pinnacle and a banner of the Southern Cross. He also holds a brass mariner's astrolabe which helped him navigate the seas to find new lands to explore and people to exploit on behalf of Spain and Portugal. Vespucci undertook several expeditions to South and Central America between 1497 and 1504, spurred by Christopher Columbus’s earlier journey. In the preparatory drawing for this print (1974.205), Vespucci is shown naming the allegorical figure America, a feminized version of his own name.
The representation of the Four Continents—Africa, America, Asia and Europe—as female allegorical figures with their so-called attributes has a long history and was standardized in the late sixteenth century by Cesare Ripa in his influential emblem book Iconologia. Since such allegories were almost exclusively the work of white male European artists, they represent a biased point of view and promote a Christian Eurocentric sense of self that epitomizes formative habits of racial and gender stereotyping.
Here, Vespucci carries a staff with a crucifix at its pinnacle and a banner of the Southern Cross. He also holds a brass mariner's astrolabe which helped him navigate the seas to find new lands to explore and people to exploit on behalf of Spain and Portugal. Vespucci undertook several expeditions to South and Central America between 1497 and 1504, spurred by Christopher Columbus’s earlier journey. In the preparatory drawing for this print (1974.205), Vespucci is shown naming the allegorical figure America, a feminized version of his own name.
Artwork Details
- Title: Allegory of America, from New Inventions of Modern Times (Nova Reperta), plate 1 of 19
- Artist: Theodoor Galle (Netherlandish, Antwerp 1571–1633 Antwerp)
- Artist: After Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus (Netherlandish, Bruges 1523–1605 Florence)
- Publisher: Philips Galle (Netherlandish, Haarlem 1537–1612 Antwerp)
- Date: ca. 1600
- Medium: Engraving
- Dimensions: sheet: 10 5/8 x 7 7/8 in. (27 x 20 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
- Object Number: 49.95.868(3)
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Theodoor Galle
Maarten van Heemskerck
ca. 1561
Multiple artists/makers
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1600
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1600
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1600
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.