The art of the Spanish Americas is predominantly religious in subject. These four paintings are outstanding exceptions to the norm. They are depictions of the Four Continents as known in the 18th century. Each allegorical representation is filled with the people, fauna, and flora associated—in part accurately, in part whimsically—with the respective continent. The four principal figures sit atop animals connected with their dominions: America on an alligator, Africa on a lion, Asia on a camel, and Europe on a horse. The costumes, architecture, and objects that accompany the local denizens of these quasi-island continents help create a wildly decorative but wonderfully fanciful view of the world. At a time of vibrant international trade (with Mexico being an important center), these paintings may have been intended to demonstrate the extent of the realm of the Spanish Empire.



As with many paintings produced in the New World in the 18th century, the compositions of the present works are based on European print sources—in this case an anonymous set of engravings of the Four Continents. The prints were likely Spanish, as the figure of Europe holds a shield bearing the coat-of-arms of King Felipe V and his son Ferdinand VI, who ruled from 1700 to 1759. Our paintings date from 1779, reflecting the sometimes-delayed dissemination of prints across the Atlantic.

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