In New World Scene, how is the Background and context discussed?
New World Scene was made by German artist Johann Froschauer as a reaction to the descriptions of Native Americans made by Amerigo Vespucci in his book Mundus Novum. Vespucci was an explorer and navigator who made multiple trips to the Americas in the early 16th century, detailing his findings and interactions with the Native people he met. It was the journal he made on his second trip to the Americas where he visited the region now known as Brazil in which he turned his documentation into the book Mundus Novum. In particular, Vespucci took great care to detail his interactions with the Brazilian Tupinamba tribe he met during his time there, describing their attire, customs, and interactions that were prominent in their culture. Though historians are unsure of the accuracy of the descriptions found in his book, Mundus Novum described the Native American groups that Vespucci interacted with as "lawless, lustful, and cannibalistic", which greatly influenced the art based on his words.Upon arriving back in Europe, his words inspired artists like Froschauer to create depictions of Indigenous people based on what Vespucci had described in his writings. Eventually, many of these pieces of art were commissioned to be included in Mundus Novum. In the case of New World Scene, Froschauer created this piece specifically to be included in Vespucci's book and is considered to be the first depiction to show Native American tribes as being cannibalistic, though not all elements in the image represent the Tupinamba Native Americans in actuality.
New World Mundus Novum Americas Amerigo Vespucci Johann Froschauer Tupinamba tribe