Allegory of Africa 1728 - 1774

Gottfried Bernhard Goetz created this etching, "Allegory of Africa," employing ink on paper. Here, we witness the symbolic projection of a continent through the visual language of the 18th century. At its heart, a woman, symbolizing Africa, sits astride a lion, an animal long associated with strength and royalty. She holds in her right hand a horn of plenty spilling forth wheat; this is juxtaposed by figures adorned with feathers, turbans, and ceremonial spears. The lion, a kingly symbol, has been historically associated with sun gods, and divine power. The imagery of a person riding an animal suggests the domination and control of nature; it is an ancient motif that recurs from classical antiquity to Renaissance representations of the continents. Note how, in the Renaissance, the “Africa” symbol was presented as a wild, untamed figure. The wheat horn has a history in the symbolism of the Roman goddess Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. In a non-linear progression, the “Africa” symbol has shifted to one of prosperity, though still dominated.