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# Christopher Columbus

National Portrait Gallery

                    - Share IconShare Icon                       - 
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                      - Print
                      -     Object Details- Artist
- Unidentified Artist
- Sitter
- Christopher Columbus, 1451? - 1506
- Exhibition Label
- Born Genoa, Italy
- Christopher Columbus, as the first man to discover fast and reliable routes across the Atlantic Ocean, would forever link Europe and the Americas. Although there is no known life portrait of Columbus, this engraving from André Thevet’s volume of collected biographies, Les Vrais Pourtraits et Vies des Hommes Illustres (Paris, 1584), lays claim to being the most authentic image in existence. Visiting French and foreign collections, Thevet meticulously researched images to accurately illustrate his biographical essays. The engraving of Columbus, he asserted, was taken from an oil painting by a Dutch artist living in Lisbon at the same time as the explorer. Although some consider Columbus’s reputation tainted by his harsh treatment of American Indians, his skills as a navigator and his boldness in risking the unknown are still noteworthy, and his voyage was a turning point in history.
- Nacido en Génova, Italia
- Con su descubrimiento de rutas rápidas y confiables para cruzar el océano Atlántico, Cristóbal Colón conectaría para siempre a Europa con las Américas. Aunque no se conoce ningún retrato suyo del natural, este grabado de la colección de biografías publicada por André Thevet, Les Vrais Pourtraits et Vies des Hommes Illustres (París, 1584), se señala como la imagen más auténtica que existe. Para ilustrar con precisión sus ensayos biográficos, Thevet condujo una meticulosa investigación de imágenes en colecciones francesas y extranjeras. Afirmaba que el grabado de Colón provenía de una pintura al óleo de un artista holandés que vivió en Lisboa para la misma época que el explorador genovés. Aunque para algunos la reputación de Colón lleva la mácula de su duro trato a los indígenas americanos, es innegable que sus destrezas náuticas y la osadía de lanzarse a lo desconocido son dignas de reconocimiento. Su viaje fue uno de los grandes momentos de la historia.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1584
- Object number
- NPG.2009.78
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Print
- Medium
- Engraving on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 32 x 22.5 cm (12 5/8 x 8 7/8")
- Mat: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Illustration
- Christopher Columbus: Male
- Christopher Columbus: Natural Resource Occupations\Explorer
- Christopher Columbus: Science and Technology\Navigator\Ship
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2009.78
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4cd3706ff-a4b7-449e-b10c-e7309c84b1de
  CC0Creative Commons - No Rights Reserved iconUsage Conditions Apply>download icon>          This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions).  You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian.  For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.        International media Interoperability FrameworkIIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.View manifestView in Mirador ViewerExpand to view image×                             Footer logo      
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