Personification of Europe

Unknown

1580–90 · Lead, with traces of gilding · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

During the Renaissance, Europeans recognized four continents. Each figure on these plaquettes (60.70.1-.4) personifies one of them. Europe’s clothing and attributes denote empire, military strength, and artistic accomplishments, whereas those of Africa, America, and Asia represent the precious goods that Europeans coveted. Far from accurate representations, this imagery reinforced the fiction of European superiority over other peoples and cultures.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1580–90

Medium

Lead, with traces of gilding

Culture

German

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1960