100969 | UNITED STATES & ITALY. Christopher Columbus bronze Medal.

100969 | UNITED STATES & ITALY. Christopher Columbus bronze Medal. Issued 1892. Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the initial Columbian contact (59mm, 95.69 g, 12h). By S. Johnson in Milano.

 

MEMENTO OF THE WORLD'S FAIR / CHICAGO 1893 / CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, draped bust facing slightly left / The fruits of Columbus's first voyage: Winged personification of Civilization facing slightly left, head right, surrounded by Genii representing Education, Commerce, and Industry; to lower right, native chief, maiden, and two warriors crouching defensively; at a distance, coastline with the U.S. Capitol before rising sun; around, border comprised of alternating stars and state shields. Edge: Minor mark, otherwise plain.

 

Eglit 105; Rulau p. 100 note. Mint State. Light bronze surfaces, with some underlying luster. One of the most artistically attractive within the entire Columbian Expo and related series.

 

During the lead-up to the quadricentennial of Columbus's initial contact with the New World, numerous medals were designed and struck, both in the United States—in conjunction with the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago—and abroad, sometimes for this event of for similar others. This highly artistic, ornate, and rather idealized aspect of New World contact was issued by the famous Milanese-based manufacturer of medallic art, Stefano Johnson, and is among those considered to be the most attractive throughout the vast series.

 

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