Antique metal plaque showing the landing of explorer Christopher Columbus in the New World in the year 1492.

This scene depicts an event which occurred over 500 years ago.

The plaque is solid metal, 7 1/2" x 9 3/4" , made of cast white metal / spelter.
Raised scene and decoration.
It is housed in its original metal frame of decorated tin.
The overall size of the frame is 9 1/4" x 11 3/8".

At the back is the original cast attachment point and ring for hanging this plaque on a wall.
The tin frame also has a pair of attached metal pieces which could be used for hanging.

Very good condition, with the surface one expects in a white metal piece which was made 100+ years ago.

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The scene of the plaque is loosely based on the 1847 oil painting " The Landing of Columbus , 1492 " by John Vanderlyn ( 1775 - 1852 ), an American neoclassicist painter.

 Christopher Columbus is depicted newly landed from the Santa maria in the West Indies ( Caribbean ), on an island that the natives called Guanahani and he named San Salvador ( in the Bahamas ), on October 12, 1492. Columbus raises the royal banner of Aragon and Castile, claiming the land for his Spanish patrons, and stands bareheaded, with his hat at his feet, in honor of the sacredness of the event. He holds a sword in his right hand.
The captains of the ships Nina and Pinta are also here, and the smaller banner of Ferdinand and Isabella.
Some of the crew kneel, others, carrying polearm and matchlock firearm weapons, keep watch.
Beside Columbus is a Catholic friar / priest with his crucifix on his right wrist and and left arm extended.
In the foreground is a kneeling Native woman.
In the distant background is one of the expedition sailing ships.
In the margin is floral & botanical decoration with four ornamental cartouches; above is another sailing ship, at the left and right are symbols of agriculture and industry, and below is a pair of Native Americans paddling a canoe.
The plant decoration in the margins includes strawberries and pumpkins , both of which are native to North America.

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John Vanderlyn (1775-1852), who studied with Gilbert Stuart , was the first American painter to be trained in Paris. He was commissioned by Congress in June 1836 to paint the Landing of Columbus for the Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC.
Vanderlyn worked on the large, 10' x 18' original canvas , " The Landing of Columbus ",  for ten years before completing it.
It was installed by early January 1847 in the Rotunda , where it still hangs today.

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Carefully packed for shipment to the buyer.

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Additional information :

Christopher Columbus ( 1451 - 1506 ), Italian explorer and navigator who made several voyages across the Atlantic Ocean , opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.
The expeditions of Columbus, sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain , were the first European contact with the Caribbean , Central America , and South America.
Columbus is the most celebrated of the explorers of the Age Of Exploration ( late 1400s - 1600s ; also called the Age Of Discovery ), and is a symbol of that era.
Of late Columbus has become a controversial historical figure, however, though not perfect, his legacy has been unfairly tarnished by some critics employing a " revisionist " version of history.
For generations, Christopher Columbus has been embraced by Italian - Americans as a symbol of their identity, pride, culture and unity.