Important Set Of Four Oil Paintings On Canvas—18th-century French School

THE FOUR CONTINENTS — SET OF FOUR 18TH-CENTURY OIL-ON-CANVAS PAINTINGS
Decorative set of four allegorical paintings depicting the Four Continents

A remarkable set of four large 18th-century oil-on-canvas paintings illustrating the allegorical theme of the Four Continents, an emblematic subject of European artistic culture in the modern era.

Through four distinct compositions, this set evokes the symbolic representation of the then-known world. Europe, Asia, Africa, and America are personified in accordance with the iconographic conventions of the era, in a pictorial language blending allegorical figures, symbolic attributes, and evocations of distant lands.

The theme of the Four Continents occupies a significant place in European decorative arts and painting of the 17th and 18th centuries. It attests to a fascination with the world, travel, and the diversity of peoples, while reflecting the way in which artists of that era constructed an allegorical representation of universal geography.

The combination of these four compositions lends this collection particular significance: beyond each painting considered individually, a comprehensive and coherent vision unfolds, intended to be appreciated in its entirety.

Provenance: Private Collection of Paul Véran
Dimensions:
Europe: 217.5 x 159 cm
Africa: 219 x 158 cm
America: 217.5 x 132.5 cm
Asia: 215.5 x 126.5 cm.

Period: 18th century.
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Subject: Allegories of the four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Complete set, sold exclusively as a whole.