The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-24
NO USE IN HUMBUG.
AN ALLEGED PORTRAIT OF COLUMBUS


AN hLLEuED IOhlHhIl
History OF tho rraud Located In Chicago.
To THE EDITOR OF THE suN-Sir: Having
sceived several lotters asking for historical
information relative to now famous picture
said to represent the features OF Christopher
Columbus. purchased in Venice. which 10
ut present in Chicago. 1 beg to ask whether
you could not spare tho room In your valuable
paper for the following remarks:
That alleged portrait Is held forth In mum.
Der Of printed slips. newspapers. and maga-
zines. as the work Of the celebrated Venetian
artist Lorenzo Lotto. and as having been
painted from life. at Granada. in 1902"
which date 1t is said to bear in clear and un.
mistaknbe figures. Tho present owner. how.
over. states that 1T was painted In 150L"
Tho claim is urged furthermore in italian and
American periodicals with an array OF un.
founded and audacious assertions which call
for reply.
1t is not true that Domenico Plsanl was sent
to Spain AZ an ambassador from the Venetian
republic when the discoveries Of Columbus
became known In Venice"
1t is not true that he went chiefly. or at all.
for tho purpose Of obtaining information for
tho use Of tho merchants Of Venice concerns
ing the commercial value. the resources and
products OF the newly discovered lands. and
to obtain maps and charts for the boneat Of
Venetian navigators."
1t is not true that Pisani "had secretary
named Giovanni Camerno or Cietrico."
It is not true that the said Camerino or
CiStriGo 9btaNned Sscretly from the discovere,
It is not true that Pisani forwarded to his
Goyernm non many yoluminous reports COM
Spain whiio Pfsani was there. and completed
patronage"
1t is not true that there are sixteen Tor any
Madrid painted in Granada, Seville. and other
places during those years"
may be traced back nearly three centuries"
sissi rsp is5rssSn SSsP is ia.
ian those Of BSlosness
That map is not. as we should have supposed.
map Of his maritime discoveries. It Is q map
time. It is not even 9 Spanish map.
SORT qhart q that s plain eno9aR
lie astutely inGuirfe.d which was the e., Oldest
any better. showed him the drst engyaosd mop
Of the Now World, which the falsfler imme-
ssfsf oE h SiGps and for his
phisticated customer. that map happens to DO
nothing else than the mappamnndl CONSTRUCT.
and publ shed with the second issue Of the
Rome Ptoemy Of that year.
t ths said mapRsmandi, Of ESysoh is the arss
shape Of the brazilian county. both Of which
have likewise been borrowed out and out from
4aasd osa the Is hs bR 6s
appearance e Of Monserrate. which island, Is to
Ssss
NJ ss@SlsIs
otsa sss s.sssa &c. re pI ssssSaS
81 ahs o9 fss Of
xestl IS the extrsme limit q tho Sentimental
slSs RI I'll e. ass @ Te. ss
All sp which only
astute devices which. rarely fall to betray the
hand Of the Isallsn sha.Deis who work with
XII ttSsssn Epd the supply al
eyery two , or three months we I now ses mras-
nlously exhumed from some :. Datrleian col:
upon
credulons amateurs. Nor can any one tell
Ehe sasa .o% fSs zas e. TFs MSsss
But II # becomes known in Italy that the
a f map has been shown to demonst5sts
asss Viii sasnSs long
however. In accordance with the well. known
practice In such cases. this second edition will
DO duly bereaved OF its awkward appendage.
Yet. 1t may DO that the prospect OF remu-
lucrative sale being somewhat diminished
BY our "unratriotic" disclosures. no new
Lotto portrait will be deemed worth while
fabricating. II SO. we must expect to see the
advocates Of the Chicago picture man
fully throw its bogus map overheard. then it's
volume Of Aristotle Coiumbus is made to rest
upon. then we do not know what else. step by
step. gradually as the demolishlng Of all those
impudent inventions Tenders such painful
abandonment absolutely necessary. Perhaps
the Lotto connoisseurs. still undaunted. will
cling to the map and claptraps, but represent
these as later compliments added by Leonardo
da Vinci or Titian-nay. BY Lotto himself.
after he had returned from Spain. where. We
make bold to say, the celebrated painter never
set his foot. all Interested and bald assevera-
More yet could be said on the subject: but
any ono at all conversant with the history OF
Columbus and OF photography will cons der
tho above facts sufficient to prove the spurious
character Of that piece OF canvas. Withal. it
should be stated. In Justice to the " Lotto por-
trait Of Columbus" that 1t Is neither better
nor worse than any and all tho other apocry-
phal daubs and portraits which are now being
collected In Italy. In SPAIN and in tho United
States by overzealous patriots. who do not
seem to be aware that they are striving I'd
m fka O. A aisf4s dous0n H hhs hanssI
HANGED THEM.