Christopher Columbus (sculpture by Vittori)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Columbus is a public artwork by Italian artist Enrico Vittori, located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana
, United States
. The sculpted bust of Christopher Columbus sits atop a pedestal that has relief carvings on its front, left and righthand sides. The sculpture was installed by the southwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse in 1920 by members of Italian immigrant communities throughout the state of Indiana. The sculpture stands 135.5 inches high (344 centimeters), has a width of 80 inches (200 centimeters) and a depth of 76 inches (190 centimeters).
has been cast in bronze
. He wears a period costume, and his hair falls at approximately chin length. His facial expression is unsmiling, his chin is raised slightly and his eyes gaze off to his left. Below his left shoulder, the name of the artist is inscribed, E. VITTORI.
Below the bust is a granite
pedestal with a plaque
and relief carvings
underneath. The carving on the front of the pedestal depicts a figure grouping with a man draped in fabric and wearing a crown of laurels standing in the center. His left arm is raised in the air and his right hand rests in front of his waist. To the left and right of this man, three figures of Native Americans are featured, two of whom are kneeling before him; one on either side. The kneeling figure on the Columbus' left is a man, while the two figures on his right are women, one of whom is standing just behind his right shoulder. The relief on the right side of the pedestal depicts a seated woman with her right hand resting on her chest and her left hand on a large anchor; her head is turned to her right. The relief on the left side of the pedestal shows a profile view of a seated woman who is resting her right elbow on a globe. Just below the bottom of the relief sculptures, the pedestal slopes outward to meet a two-stepped granite base. The bust on the Christopher Columbus piece is approximately 39 inches (99.1 cm) by 23 inches (58.4 cm) by 29 inches (73.7 cm), the pedestal is 82 inches (208.3 cm) by 62 inches (157.5 cm) by 58 inches (147.3 cm) and the base is 14.5 inches (36.8 cm) by 80 inches (203.2 cm) by 76 inches (193 cm).
The front of the sculpture contains a plaque that states the following:
The back of the pedestal has metal lettering attached directly to the granite which reads:
Directly below these words, another plaque has been placed on the pedestal which reads:
funded the cleaning of the bronze bust, as well as the addition of new bronze lettering on the back of the pedestal. The sculpture was modified once again in 1992 during the Columbus Quincentenary, which celebrated the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyage to America. The Knights of Columbus installed a plaque bearing another statement about Christopher Columbus, bringing the total number of written statements on the pedestal to three.
Christopher Columbus was created by Enrico (Harry) Vittori, an Italian artist who lived in Indianapolis. Vittori attended the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy and traveled to Indianapolis in 1919 to work for an airplane company.
project. The overall condition was rated as "good", but it was determined that the sculpture would benefit from conservation treatment. In particular, the piece suffered from metallic staining, erosion, green caulking on the pedestal, and bird guano.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The sculpted bust of Christopher Columbus sits atop a pedestal that has relief carvings on its front, left and righthand sides. The sculpture was installed by the southwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse in 1920 by members of Italian immigrant communities throughout the state of Indiana. The sculpture stands 135.5 inches high (344 centimeters), has a width of 80 inches (200 centimeters) and a depth of 76 inches (190 centimeters).
Description
The bust of explorer Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
has been cast in bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
. He wears a period costume, and his hair falls at approximately chin length. His facial expression is unsmiling, his chin is raised slightly and his eyes gaze off to his left. Below his left shoulder, the name of the artist is inscribed, E. VITTORI.
Below the bust is a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
pedestal with a plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
and relief carvings
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
underneath. The carving on the front of the pedestal depicts a figure grouping with a man draped in fabric and wearing a crown of laurels standing in the center. His left arm is raised in the air and his right hand rests in front of his waist. To the left and right of this man, three figures of Native Americans are featured, two of whom are kneeling before him; one on either side. The kneeling figure on the Columbus' left is a man, while the two figures on his right are women, one of whom is standing just behind his right shoulder. The relief on the right side of the pedestal depicts a seated woman with her right hand resting on her chest and her left hand on a large anchor; her head is turned to her right. The relief on the left side of the pedestal shows a profile view of a seated woman who is resting her right elbow on a globe. Just below the bottom of the relief sculptures, the pedestal slopes outward to meet a two-stepped granite base. The bust on the Christopher Columbus piece is approximately 39 inches (99.1 cm) by 23 inches (58.4 cm) by 29 inches (73.7 cm), the pedestal is 82 inches (208.3 cm) by 62 inches (157.5 cm) by 58 inches (147.3 cm) and the base is 14.5 inches (36.8 cm) by 80 inches (203.2 cm) by 76 inches (193 cm).
The front of the sculpture contains a plaque that states the following:
- CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
- BORN IN GENOA, ITALY 1451. DISCOVERED
- AMERICA OCTOBER 12, 1492. THIS LAND
- OF OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM WAS
- THUS PRESERVED FOR HUMANITY BY THE
- PERENNIAL GENIUS ABIDING IN THE
- ITALIAN RACE.
- REFURBISHED BY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 1956.
The back of the pedestal has metal lettering attached directly to the granite which reads:
- ERECTED A.D. 1920
- BY THE ITALIANS
- OF INDIANAPOLIS KOKOMO
- LOGANSPORT RICHMOND
- ETC.
Directly below these words, another plaque has been placed on the pedestal which reads:
- THE COLUMBUS QUINCENTENARY JUBILEE
- COMMISSION OF INDIANA INC., IN BEHALF
- OF INDIANA'S ITALIAN-AMERICAN
- COMMUNITY DEDICATES THIS PLAQUE TO
- THE CELEBRATION OF THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
- COLUMBUS DISCOVERY OF AMERICA
- MAY THE GENIUS ABIDING IN THE ITALIAN RACE ENCOURAGE TOLERANCE
- AND ACCEPTANCE OF ALL CULTURES AS
- AMERICA'S ULTIMATE CONTRIBUTION TO HUMANITY.
Historical information
The sculpture was given to the state by a group of Italian-American citizens living in Indiana. Christopher Columbus is the only monument at the Indiana Statehouse donated by immigrants, and it was intended by the Italians to be a tribute to America. It stood unchanged for 35 years until 1955 when the Knights of ColumbusKnights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
funded the cleaning of the bronze bust, as well as the addition of new bronze lettering on the back of the pedestal. The sculpture was modified once again in 1992 during the Columbus Quincentenary, which celebrated the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyage to America. The Knights of Columbus installed a plaque bearing another statement about Christopher Columbus, bringing the total number of written statements on the pedestal to three.
Christopher Columbus was created by Enrico (Harry) Vittori, an Italian artist who lived in Indianapolis. Vittori attended the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy and traveled to Indianapolis in 1919 to work for an airplane company.
Location history
Christopher Columbus was installed on the Indiana Statehouse lawn shortly after its completion and has not been moved or viewed in any other location. However, the initial proposal for the sculpture requested that the piece be erected in one of the Indianapolis parks, and the location of "University Square" was listed as a potential site for the monument.Acquisition
Christopher Columbus was made possible by a fundraising campaign undertaken by Vincent A. LaPenta, a surgeon and scientist who presided over the executive committee of Italian Propaganda. The installation was performed by various members of the Italian community living in Indiana and was dedicated on October 31, 1920 by governor James P. Goodrich. Vincent A. LaPenta spoke at the dedication ceremony and stated, "Columbus can be considered humanity's greatest benefactor." The sculpture was accepted as a gift and is currently owned by the State of Indiana's Department of Administration.Condition
Christopher Columbus was cleaned in 1992 and surveyed once more in 1994 as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture!Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....
project. The overall condition was rated as "good", but it was determined that the sculpture would benefit from conservation treatment. In particular, the piece suffered from metallic staining, erosion, green caulking on the pedestal, and bird guano.