The Discovery of America, Theodoore Galle after Jan Van der Straet, Stradanus

Description: The Discovery of Americap1 (of 19)c. 1600 Series: Nova RepertaArtist: Johannes Stradanus, Jan van der Straet, Giovanni StradanoEngraver: Theodoor GallePublisher: Phillip GalleCatalogue raisonné: New Hollstein 323State: I/IVDate: 1591Condition: Condition is poor to fair overall. Trimmed at platemark, foxing/toning throughout with extensive soling along bottom border. Faint wrinkling in center of print. Dimensions (HxW): (20 x 27.2cm) Inscription:Lower left of center: ioan. Stradanus inuent.Theodor. Galle sculp. Ph[i]l[ip]s galle exud.Title and one line latin lower margin:AMERICAamericen Americus retixit, et semel vocauit inde semper exitamNumber 1 in lower margin Exceptionally rare and important engraving by Johannes Stradanus (Jan van der Straet, Giovanni Stradano) from the series "Nova Reperta" or New Invention of Modern Times. An allegorical scene of the Discovery of America. This evraving is very rare at auction and likely unavailable for purchase in a shop/gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art: 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. Khan Academy:Stradanus contrasts the European and American figures and the worlds they signify. Vespucci is clothed, while America is not. He stands, she sits. He holds his banner upright, while her club is set aside. He comes from the sea, she comes from the land. His world has ships and navigational instruments, hers wild animals and cannibals. His body is obscured, while hers is available and sexualized.These juxtapositions encourage viewers to make particular associations. Vespucci represents order and those that are civilized, while America symbolizes disorder and the uncivilized. His ships, sword, and astrolabe are also the instruments of exploration and conquest, used to subdue those people perceived as inferior. Stradanus portrays America and the cannibals behind her in the nude to underscore their primitive nature. Please message me if you have any questions or would like more photos. Also, take a moment to check out my other listings Thank you!

Price: 2999 USD

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

End Time: 2024-10-18T15:25:03.000Z

Shipping Cost: 10 USD

Product Images

Item Specifics

All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted

Artist: Johannes Stradanus, Jan van der Straet

Unit of Sale: Set

Image Orientation: Landscape

Signed: Yes

Period: Mannersim

Title: The Discovery of America

Material: Paper

Region of Origin: Flanders

Framing: Unframed

Subject: Amerigo Vespucci, America

Type: Print

Year of Production: 1591

Unit Type: Unit

Item Height: 20cm

Theme: Americana, Animals, Continents & Countries, Cultures & Ethnicities, History, Social History, Travel & Transportation, New World, Native American, Exploration

Style: Old Master Print, Mannerism, Renaissance

Features: antique, Rare

Production Technique: Copper Engraving

Unit Quantity: 1

Culture: European

Item Width: 27.2cm

Time Period Produced: Pre-1700