The India of Freedom (1819) by Autor desconocidoMuseo de la Independencia Casa del Florero
The allegorical image of America created by Europeans at the end of the 16th century, as a wild, exotic and violent woman, was reinterpreted by the leaders of the nascent republics after the process of independence against the Catholic monarchy.
In this way, the Creoles created their own symbolic image of the continent with the objective of representing all those features that they considered more in line with their identity as Americans.
In this 1819 painting, the Indian has a skin color adjusted to the Creole or mestizo manner.
This was usually done with the purpose of recreating the mixture between Spaniards and Indians and thus legitimizing the right to rule of those born in America with respect to Europeans.
The woman is crowned by a plume with the colors of the new nation, the Republic of Colombia.
She wears a feathered skirt and carries a bow in her right hand, representing the character's warrior character.
In turn, he holds a quiver of arrows and holds a spear with a Phrygian red cap, an emblem of liberty commonly used since the French Revolution.
With that spear, the Indian attacks a large alligator lying prostrate on the ground, a symbol of oppression and tyranny that has been defeated thanks to Independence.
The allegory of India of Liberty was used to preside over civil ceremonies in Santafé, replacing the portraits of King Ferdinand VII.
Museum Director
Elvira Pinzón Méndez
Curation
Luis Felipe Núñez Martínez
Communications
Camila López Lara
Valentina Bastidas
Collection Management
Maria Adelaida Bohórquez Botero
Image reproduction:
Museo de la Independencia Casa del Florero / Jairo Gómez photography
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