Allegory of America
This drawing served as a model for an engraved title page in the second volume of an atlas on the Americas, Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Maior (Amsterdam, 1662). Berchem, a prolific draftsman and painter who specialized in landscapes, reconfigured the New World allegory for a Dutch context by including a detailed setting alluding to trade and religion. At the indigenous woman’s feet, another native pours out gold. A salamander and gold bars suggest the exoticism and riches associated with the Americas. Background scenes show the metal being mined, carried, and transported on a European vessel. Up in the clouds, European allegories convert natives to Christianity and battle the devil.
Artwork Details
- Title: Allegory of America
- Artist: Nicolaes Berchem (Dutch, Haarlem 1621/22–1683 Amsterdam)
- Date: mid-17th–late 17th century
- Medium: Black chalk, brush, black ink, gray wash; incised for transfer
- Dimensions: 17 5/8 x 11 13/16 in. (44.8 x 30 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde, 1959
- Object Number: 59.208.90
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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