Columbus before the Queen
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Columbus before the Queen was the third of at least six treatments of the Christopher Columbus theme undertaken by Emanuel Leutze. Portrayed as a hero, the Italian explorer commands the center of the composition as he boldly addresses the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, seen here on the left. With their backing, Columbus crossed the Atlantic four times between 1492 and 1503. His first voyage marked the beginning of Spanish colonization of the Americas, which brought a new language, a new monotheistic religion, and an obsession with racial purity to the region.
Caption
Emanuel Leutze American, born Germany, 1816–1868. Columbus before the Queen, 1843. Oil on canvas, 38 9/16 x 50 15/16 in. (97.9 x 129.4 cm) frame: 53 1/2 × 66 × 6 in. (135.9 × 167.6 × 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund and Healy Purchase Fund B, 77.220. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 77.220_SL1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Columbus before the Queen
Date
1843
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
38 9/16 x 50 15/16 in. (97.9 x 129.4 cm) frame: 53 1/2 × 66 × 6 in. (135.9 × 167.6 × 15.2 cm)
Signatures
Signed lower right: "E. Leutze-1843"
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund and Healy Purchase Fund B
Accession Number
77.220
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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Frequent Art Questions
Why does Queen Isabella look so distraught?
In this scene, Columbus is appearing before Isabella after they had replaced him as governor after one of the new Spanish colonies revolted. When he was brought back to Spain, he was chained and appeared before the king and queen in manacles, which can be seen at his feet. Queen Isabella was very upset at his treatment, which is the moment Leutze has chosen to show in this painting.Who is the figure in the red on the left? A representative of the church?
You're right! Spain, especially during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, was largely inhabited by devout Catholics so it was important to include a reference to the religion in "Columbus Before the Queen" painted by Emanuel Leutze.Why did Leutze paint so many scenes of Columbus and colonial-era history? Were his patrons asking for this stuff? What was the particular appeal of this subject at the time?
Leutze's history paintings, which featured historical figures from Christopher Columbus to George Washington, were done for some personal political reasons. Leutze was born in Germany and his father was an anti-monarchy activist.Leutze used these figures, who were prominent in American history, as a counterpoint to the contemporaneous situation in Europe, particularly Germany, and to promote the idea of a democratic, unified government in Germany.American audiences, of course, reacted positively to these heroic depictions of Columbus. Take this painting, for example. Columbus is shown as a hero who has been grievously wronged by the Spanish monarchy. If you look closely, you can even see the manacles he was supposed to have been wearing.Thanks!What is the significance of the chains in the foreground of this painting?
During his third trip to America, Columbus was arrested, by mistake, on the order of the Spanish king and queen. Here we see him upon his return to Spain, defiantly displaying the absurdity of his manacles to the visibly embarrassed queen.How common was this topic in 19th century painting? I remember a painting by Juan Cordero on the same subject. I'm not certain who was first, Leutze or Cordero?
As you may know, Cordero's version (from 1850) was the first painting with a subject from American history (rather than European or classical history) given a grand display in front of the Mexican public.At the time, Cordero claimed that no one had ever painted the subject before, but Leutze's painting actually predates Cordero's painting, because it was painted in 1843.Can you tell me about this?
Emanuel Leutze was an important 19th-century German-American history painter. Here, in "Columbus before the Queen" (1843), he tells a quintessentially American story, framed for a European (German) audience.During his third trip to America in 1499, Columbus was arrested, by mistake, on the order of the Spanish king and queen. Here we see him upon his return to Spain, defiantly displaying the absurdity of his manacles to the visibly embarrassed queen.In Leutze's time, the German people lived in a disjointed group of separate monarchies, yearning for unification - to Leutze, the Columbus story was a useful metaphor for individuals standing up to the arbitrary institutional power of monarchies!I'm in front of the Emmanuel Leutze "Columbus before the Queen," and was wondering if the figure in background center is known to be a self-portrait. It looks like he is holding a mahl stick.
Sharp eyes! He's definitely a courtier wearing the same heraldic black lion on a gold background as the cloth behind King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. However, the figure doesn't resemble Leutze himself!
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