Allegorie van de Aarde 1585 - 1603

Curator: Allow me to introduce Jacob Savery I's engraving, "Allegory of the Earth," dating somewhere between 1585 and 1603. Editor: It's so intricate, like a tiny, bustling world captured in a circle. A bit unsettling, though. There’s this almost manic energy vibrating from it, even in the stillness. Curator: The circular format itself echoes early symbolic maps of the Earth. Notice the central female figure, a personification of the Earth herself, enthroned by the roots of a prominent tree. Savery utilizes allegorical language. Editor: Oh, she looks like she’s seen some things, clinging to that tree like it's the only thing keeping her grounded. It feels symbolic—almost like she's weary from supporting it all. Is that a spear she's holding, and why the exhausted pups lying at her feet? And a wheel? What a mishmash. Curator: Precisely. The spear and bow point to dominion, the hounds signify her bounty, her fruits... think of fertile lands under the control of mankind. This bounty hinges on her central position and connection to the terrestrial, natural world. Savery employs the landscape tradition as the very means for human sustenance. Editor: I’m stuck on the figures in the background, those tiny men hacking away with spears and hunting, a reminder of nature's constant tug-of-war with us. The allegory is that we must harvest to survive, but not to ruin...I see how these themes endure, echoing concerns from centuries ago right into our era. Curator: Yes, and that circular frame encloses not only land but commentary; notice how it includes a saying written around it to indicate ownership of earthly possessions, in what appears to be Dutch. It encapsulates themes that touch on natural dominion and ownership of resources—very loaded stuff for our own contemporary moment. Editor: Loaded indeed. Savery gives a face to that relationship—an image to reflect the anxieties surrounding nature, which can often appear to come out of balance. Thanks for bringing this into focus. Curator: Thank you; thinking about allegory invites us to unpack not just historical convention, but how systems of power, often implicit, get transmitted generationally through visual forms.