Aliquot Heroum Virginiæ Notæ. XXIII. · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Aliquot Heroum Virginiæ Notæ. XXIII.
Subject: Algonquians; Indigenous peoples – North Carolina; Indigenous Chiefs – North America; Body art; Body marking; Scarification (art); Tattooing; Indigenous peoples – North America – Social life and customs; Indigenous peoples – Virginia
Period: 1550-1600;
Geographic: Virginia; North Carolina; North America; United States of America; Frankfurt (Germany); Free Imperial City of Frankfurt; Germany; Holy Roman Empire; Secota
Description: An Indigenous man is shown from behind. He holds a longbow in his right hand and two arrows in his left, and a quiver of arrows is tied around his waist. Drawn around him are seven designs that are labelled with the letters A to G. Design A is comprised of four arrows side by side pointing upwards, with the sizes decreasing from right to left. Design B has an arrow pointing upwards with a stylized ‘X’ to the left of the arrowhead. Design C has two arrows side by side pointing upwards in decreasing size from right to left. Design D has three arrows of the same size side by side pointing to the left. Design E is a stylized ‘X’. Design F is a crosshatch pattern. Design G is a singe arrow pointing upwards. The man has design F on the back of his left shoulder, suggesting that the designs are common tattoo/scarification art.
Image Creator: Theodor de Bry (Engraver); John White (Painter); Johann Wechel (Printer)
Type: StillImage; Copperplate engraving
Identifier: mta:21308
Language: lat
Source Name: Admiranda narratio fida tamen, de commodis et incolarum ritibus Virginiæ, nuper admodum as Anglis, qui à Dn. Richardo Greinvile equestris ordinis viro eò in coloniam anno M.D.LXXXV deducti sunt inventæ, sumtus faciente Dn. Waltero Raleigh equestris ordinis viro fodinaru stanni præfecto ex auctoritate serenissimæ reginæ angliæ.
Parent Collection: 1590 Latin a briefe...
Image: mta_21308_OBJ.png

Media: mta_21308_OBJ.png