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Discovery of America (statue)
Encyclopedia
Discovery of America is a large marble sculpture group assembled in front of the east façade of the United States Capitol
building and exhibited there from 1844 until 1958 when it was removed and never restored.
The statue depicts Christopher Columbus
holding aloft a globe
as an Indian maiden, cowering nearby, looks on. The depiction of Columbus is very different from the traditional portraits, rendering him as a bearded, hawk-faced and stern-eyed figure clad in traditional Conquistador
armour. Usually Columbus is shown in flowing Renaissance robes with an astrolabe or a spyglass in hand to represent his title of "Admiral of the Ocean".
by Horatio Greenough
, were removed from the east façade in preparation for the building’s extension. They were placed in storage and — without public discussion — never restored.
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
building and exhibited there from 1844 until 1958 when it was removed and never restored.
Description
Christopher 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...
holding aloft a globe
Globe
A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
as an Indian maiden, cowering nearby, looks on. The depiction of Columbus is very different from the traditional portraits, rendering him as a bearded, hawk-faced and stern-eyed figure clad in traditional Conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
armour. Usually Columbus is shown in flowing Renaissance robes with an astrolabe or a spyglass in hand to represent his title of "Admiral of the Ocean".
History
After years of protest, in 1958, both Discovery and another statue of similar nature, The RescueThe Rescue (statue)
The Rescue is a large marble sculpture group assembled in front of the east façade of the United States Capitol building and exhibited there from 1853 until 1958 when it was removed and never restored. The sculptural ensemble was created by sculptor Horatio Greenough who had previously been...
by Horatio Greenough
Horatio Greenough
Horatio Greenough was an American sculptor best known for his United States government commissions The Rescue and George Washington .-Biography:...
, were removed from the east façade in preparation for the building’s extension. They were placed in storage and — without public discussion — never restored.