Allegory of Sovereignty, Pl. 71 — Nouvelle Iconologie Historique

A powerful hand-coloured engraving of allegorical trophies emblematic of sovereignty, combining imperial eagle, maritime power, and classical column.

Drawn and engraved by Jean-Charles Delafosse. Plate 71 from Nouvelle Iconologie Historique, published by Jean-François Daumont, Paris, c. 1770.

Delafosse assembled emblems of state, virtue, and human endeavour into paired architectural trophies that functioned as a visual dictionary for the decorative arts. The motifs here — eagle, column, oar, anchor — belong to his standard repertoire for representing dominion, drawn from antique precedent and reinterpreted for the Neoclassical interior.

Hand-coloured copperplate engraving. Sheet approximately 46.2 × 34.1 cm. Very Good condition.