A little known Christopher Columbus bit of trivia.

Maywood · April 14, 2025 12:55PM

For the past 5-10 years I’ve been assembling a very modest collection of medals from the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1892-93, held in Chicago. I proceeded slowly at first been it took me a while to find a copy of the book “Colombiana” by Nathan Eglit. That in itself speaks to the interest in the catalogued medals. Finding some of the scarce/rare types can be a challenge.

Having that book and searching along with owning over a dozen of the issues I noticed the variety of “depictions” of Columbus. From the catalogued items I”ll bet there must be 200 different Christopher Columbus’ pictured!! Like the old TV Show, “Will the real Columbus please stand up.”

So I researched a little bit: as it turns out, no portrait of the Explorer is known to exist. All the paintings that purport to be him were painted after his death. I believe there may be one painted while he was still alive, done around 1498, but it can’t be confirmed. During the WCE there was an exhibit of perhaps 90-95 paintings, but all were dismissed as having been painted after he had died.

Historians look to three portraits which claim to be Columbus, best cases, but each can be ruled out for various reasons. So it raises an intriguing question: What did the man really look like??

I’m posting from my phone and will post images later, but if you have a coin/medal or even a portrait of Columbus please post it. I would ask to try and not post something that’s already pictured.

This could be fun and interesting. Thanks.

Maywood

BillJones · April 14, 2025 1:02PM

All of my material is "the usual suspects."

SanctionII · April 14, 2025 1:07PM

Maywood.

Your thread is a fine example of why I enjoy participating in the forums. You just never know what information will appear in a forum thread.

This is a great place to expand one's knowledge base (which IMO is one of life's simple pleasures) by going broader (learning a new subject matter) and/or deeper (learning more about a subject matter you are familiar with)..

I look forward to reading replies to this thread.

Mr_Spud · April 14, 2025 1:40PM

Mr_Spud · April 14, 2025 1:43PM

oldabeintx · April 14, 2025 2:51PM

Yes, I have understood that the portraits and statues we have admired are fabrications. I should dig out a photo of my wife’s late uncle Tony, he was born near Genoa, as good a guess as any for a likeness.

Maywood · April 14, 2025 2:58PM

Just from these few coin/medal images thus far differences appear, some show a clean shaven CC and in others he has a beard/mustache.

This painting is supposed to be Columbus, but it was painted around 1519 and he died in 1506.

This is "the most accurate likeness" of Columbus, but it was painted in 1525.

This was painted around 1500, but the whereabouts of the painting at this time is unknown.

pmh1nic · April 14, 2025 4:42PM

And like all of us our appearance changes with age. I've met people I haven't seen in 30 years plus and wouldn't have recognized them other than it was a planned meeting.