Allegory of Asia, from the Four Continents
Etienne Delaune French
Not on view
Engraving, part of a series of four oval prints, signed and dated 1575, with allegorical representations of the four parts of the world in the form of feminine figures laying on landscapes endowed with their attributes, surrounded by animals. This representation of Asia consists of a half-naked woman, wearing a wreath of laurel over her long, undone hair, and a large necklace around her shoulders. She holds some exotic kind of vegetable in her right hand, while her left hand moves towards an open casket that lies between her knees. It is likely that she is holding a branch with spices on the right hand and the casket represents some kind of censer. She is surrounded by animals, including a camel, native of this continent, a lion, a rhino, and an elephant.
