The four continents

This pair of reverse-glass paintings represents the Four Continents through allegorical figures labelled Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. One panel pairs Europe and Asia: Europe is associated with learning, architecture, authority, and maritime exchange, while Asia is presented through exoticised attributes including a parasol, palm, distant architecture, and a coastal setting. The other panel pairs Africa and America, using figures, bows, feathered ornament, water, and landscape motifs to evoke European visual conventions for those continents.