COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



233 



No. 42. THE HERMITAGE PICTURE. 



There hangs in the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, in that magnificent collection of 

 art and archaeology which Catherine the Great erected as her own monument, a 

 portrait (Catalogue No. 852) of a man, by Ferdinand Bal, a Flemish artist of the 

 seventeenth century, who was a pupil of Rembrandt. It is an excellent work of art, 

 and was purchased by Count Bandoni, of Paris, in 1780. In his catalogue it appeared 

 as a portrait of Columbus, but in modern catalogues it appears as the Philosopher. 



In a biography of Columbus, published about two hundred years ago, in the German 

 language, appears a rude picture of a man with a battle-ax in one hand and a shield 

 in the other, standing on the deck of a vessel. Behind him are bags of gold and at 

 his left a seaman s chest. It is claimed to be an authentic likeness of the great 



discoverer.&quot; 



No. 43. FACSIMILE OF THE DE BUY PICTURE (plate vm). 



In the preface to his famous work, Grand et Petit Voyages, published at Frankfort, 

 1595, familiarly known as De Bry s Voyages, the author says : 



&quot; Theodore De Bry sends help to the reader. In a former number of the History 

 of America, containing not only a written account of wonderful and extraordinary 

 matters relating to the recently discovered New 

 World, but also pictorial representations, by means of 

 drawings, of many scenes, it was stated that the dis 

 covery had been made by the persevering industry of 

 Christopher Columbus, contrary to the expectation of 

 all those whom he had consulted on the subject. As 

 Columbus was a man of intelligence, and endowed 

 with great genius and spirit, the King and Queen of 

 Castile, before his departure, directed his portrait to 

 l)e painted by a skillful artist, that they might have 

 a memorial of him in case he should not return from 

 his expedition. Of this portrait I have had the good 

 fortune to obtain a copy, since finishing the fourth 

 book of this work, through a friend, who had received 

 it from the artist himself; and it has been my desire, 

 kind reader, to share this pleasure with you, for which 

 purpose I have caused it to be engraved in a reduced 

 form on copper by my son, with as much care as 

 possible, and now offer it for your inspection in this 



book. And, in truth, the portrait of one possessing such excellence deserves to be 

 seen by all good men, for he was upright and courteous, pure and noble minded, 

 and an earnest friend of peace and justice.&quot; 



At another place De Bry observes that the original of his portrait was painted from 

 life by order of King Ferdinand, and was stolen from a salon of the council of the 

 Indies and taken to the Netherlands. The engraving appears in all the many 

 editions of De Bry s Voyages, and has been widely copied. It shows Columbus with 

 a Dutch countenance, and in the earliest prints two warts appeared on his right 

 cheek, but they were afterwards erased. Do Conches, as stated above, insists that 

 the picture in the Versailles Gallery (No. 27) was the original from which the De 

 Bry was engraved, with a more elaborate costume and the hair dressed after the 



fashion of the time. 



Xo. 44. THE VENETIAN MOSAIC (plate ix). 



A mosaic portrait of Columbus was presented by the city of Venice to the city of 

 Genoa as a peace offering to her ancient enemy when the latter joined the sisterhood 

 of States which now constitutes the Kingdom of Italy. It is inclosed in a beautiful 

 frame of ebony, inlaid with ivory, and is considered a remarkable work of art, 

 although it makes no claim to genuineness and is of modern workmanship. The 

 Giovio, Capri olo, and other accepted portraits of Columbus were used as models. 

 The portrait hangs in the municipal palace at Genoa. 



THE BAINBKIDGE. 



