Miniature Statue of Christopher Columbus
American: c. 1890-1910
Gilt white metal
19.25 inches high; 7 inches diameter base
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.
Christopher Columbus
Miniature Gilt Metal Statue, c. 1890-1910
Miniature Gilt Metal Statue, c. 1890-1910
This item is sold. It has been placed here in our online archives as a service for researchers and collectors.
- Please inquire as to the availability of similar items currently in stock, or use the navigation bar above to browse our site for currently available items.
- Find guidelines for the use of images from georgeglazer.com.
- To see more archived items, view our directory.
- Find information about selling your art and antiques.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Portrait statue of Christopher Columbus (1451 –1506). He is shown formally dressed in a hat and long coat, and with a sword under his coat, standing on a round base labeled “Columbus.” He stands next to a Renaissance terrestrial globe, symbolic of his exploration of the world. The miniature terrestrial globe, approximately 2.75 inches in diameter, is cast in raised relief, and turns freely within a meridian and horizon band on a stand with central baluster above an incurved plinth with four anthemia between four scrolled legs.
This statue, like many Victorian commemorative Columbus items, probably was made in the 1890s to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. In terms of the pose, dress and base, it closely resembles a full-size statue by Ferdinand Freiherr von Miller (1842-1929), a German sculptor. The original date of von Miller's statue is unknown, but it was donated to the Columbus Hospital in Great Falls, Montana, by a member of the Knights of Columbus in 1908, and later moved to Mount Olivet Cemetery, where it stands today. Miller also designed a statue of Christopher Columbus in a different pose, dedicated October 12, 1886 in Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, Missouri.
References:
"Christopher Columbus - St. Louis, Missouri." Waymarking.com. 2012. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1HQD_Christopher_Columbus_St_Louis_Missouri
van der Krogt, René and Peter. "Great Falls -- Christopher Columbus." Columbus Monuments Pages. 7 December 2006. http://www.vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?webpage=ST&record=usmt01 (20 June 2012).