Description:
female figure holding cross sitting on a cloud with figures representing the four continents below her, lion's head in center
Label Text:
Label text for ARH 240 French and Italian Drawings Renaissance through Romanticism, written by Ellen Monroe, class of 2015:
Maratti’s skillful drawing depicts a complex scene. The allegorical figure representing Religion sits at the top and the women that personify America, Africa, Asia, and Europe sit beneath her. America stands in the back, clutching a bow and adorned with exotic feathers. Africa sits with her arm around a lion and her lack of adornment represents the supposed poverty of that continent. Asia holds a burning pot of incense at lower right, while Europe, dressed opulently on the left, has symbols of her region’s perceived supremacy and fertility beneath her. The temple in her hands demonstrates her piety and devotion.
Tags:
allegory; religion; Christianity; costume; multiculturalism Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1959.199 |
