Colonial School. Mexico. 18th century.

Colonial School. Mexico. 18th century."Personification of the four continents".Set of four oil paintings on canvas. 34 x 31 cm each.Unusual portrayal of the set of the Four Continents that were then known in Europe, in which one of the first European personifications of the American continent appears.Introducing: Europe, America, Africa and Asia.Four Continents, four women.Europe is dressed as a queen, and clearly the leader of the group.As in Cesare Ripa's Iconologia, she appears as the most nobly dressed, almost Roman, as well as being surrounded by relics of art, science and music, with an owl at her feet, like the goddess Pallas Athena, a symbol of "wisdom".America, dressed as a noble savage or Indian princess, holds a bow.One of the oldest and most persistent attributes for the Americas, which appears on this canvas, is the parrot. Some of these birds were brought to Europe at the beginning of the 16th century and were highly valued. The painting also portrays the feather headdress, with the feathers in a vertical position, which reflects the royal headdress of some Indigenous peoples. There are fruit trees with bananas, and some peaceful and curious animals that contemplate us.Africa is half-dressed, with the exoticism and dryness of the landscape: desert pyramids, ivory as the gold of Africa, and the lion as the great king of the savannah.Asia is richly and fully dressed, displaying jewellery, spices, incense and the famous Burmese tiger.These four canvases would be a colourful delight for any great decorator. They are universal, magical, full of dreams of catching the whole world on four walls or in a beautiful corner of any home.