User:Emilyjanowiak/Christopher Columbus Outdoor Sculpture Draft

Christopher Columbus is a public artwork by Italian artist Enrico Vittori, located on the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is an early 20th century piece that consists of a bust sculpture of Christopher Columbus atop a pedestal that has relief carvings on the front, proper left and proper right sides. The sculpture was installed on the southwest corner of the Indiana Statehouse in 1920 by members of Italian immigrant communities throughout the state of Indiana.

Description
The top of the Christopher Columbus sculpture contains a bust of explorer Christopher Columbus that 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 the proper left. On the proper left of the bust below his shoulder, "E. VITTORI" can be read, which is the name of the artist.

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 proper left arm is raised in the air and his proper 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 proper left is a man, while the two figures on his proper right are women, one of whom is standing just behind his proper right shoulder. The relief on the proper right side of the pedestal depicts a seated woman with her proper right hand resting on her chest. Her proper left hand rests on top of a large anchor, and her head is turned proper right. The relief on the proper left side of the pedestal shows a profile view of a seated woman who is resting her proper 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 x 23 x 29 inches, the pedestal is 82 x 62 x 58 inches and the base is 14 1/2 x 80 x 76 inches.

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. It stood for 35 years unchanged until 1955 when the Knights of 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.

Location history
Christopher Columbus was installed on the Indiana Statehouse lawn shortly after it's completion and has not been moved or viewed in any other location.

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. The sculpture was accepted as a gift and is currently owned by the State of Indiana's Department of Administration.

Artist
Christopher Columbus was created by the artist Enrico Vittori, an Italian artist who lived in Indianapolis.

Condition
Christopher Columbus was cleaned in 1992 and surveyed once more in 1994 as part of the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project. It was determined that treatment was needed, but no written documentation of what treatment, if any, was performed can be located.