The Representation of the Four Continents in Southern Italy and Spain - On the Dissemination, Material, and Location of Geographical Allegories in the Baroque Era

Regina Deckers

Based on the initial research on the bust sculptures presented by Lorenzo Vaccaro in the exhibition “Caravaggio's Heirs” (Wiesbaden 2016/2017), the research on these sculptures was continued and presented in the context of the workshop “Object” - Transkulturelle Werk- und Produktionsstätten von Skulptur im neuzeitlichen Europa. Vaccaro’s four bust sized allegories of the earth were compared with another group of figures in Toledo. Of particular interest was the representation of the then known continents of Europe, Africa, Asia and America at places of representation in the Kingdom of Naples and in Spain, but also with regard to the location, choice of material, and dimensions of the two cycles of sculpture. Taking these factors into account allows conclusions to be drawn about the self-presentation of the Spanish kings and viceroys and the Neapolitan nobility.