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Christopher Columbus Complete 12 Card Set Italian Chromolithograph c1900 UNUSED
A complete 12-card Italian chromolithograph set telling the life of Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo) in twelve scenes — from the monastery of La Ráoffera to his death at Valladolid. All twelve cards are present, unused, and in beautiful condition, printed on textured stock in rich chromolithographic color. The undivided backs date the set to roughly 1898–1906.
Every card in this set, in narrative order
- 1. Cristoforo Colombo — vero ed unico ritratto, tolto da un dipinto del s.lo XVI — Portrait frontispiece, from a 16th-century painting
- 2. Cristoforo Colombo al convento di Santa Maria della Raoffera — At the monastery of La Ráoffera, seeking support for the voyage
- 3. Cristoforo Colombo al Consiglio di Salamanca — Arguing his case before the Council of Salamanca
- 4. Le tre caravelle partite da Palos il 3 Agosto 1492 — The three caravels depart Palos, 3 August 1492
- 5. Cristoforo Colombo placa la rivolta annunciando la terra entro tre giorni — Quelling the mutiny by promising land within three days
- 6. La nuova terra è in vista dell'equipaggio — The new land comes into sight of the crew
- 7. Sbarco di Cristoforo Colombo a S. Salvador il 12 Ottobre 1492 — The landing at San Salvador, 12 October 1492
- 8. Cristoforo Colombo accolto dai Sovrani in Barcellona — Received in triumph by the Catholic Monarchs at Barcelona, 1493
- 9. La seconda partenza avvenuta a Cadice il 25 Settembre 1493 — The second voyage sails from Cádiz, 25 September 1493
- 10. Cristoforo Colombo ritorna prigioniero in Ispagna — Returned to Spain in chains, 1500
- 11. Cristoforo Colombo predice l'eclisse di luna — Predicting the lunar eclipse, Jamaica 1504
- 12. Cristoforo Colombo muore in Valladolid il 20 Maggio 1506 — Death at Valladolid, 20 May 1506
About the set
All twelve cards share the same undivided Universal Postal Union back (Carte Postale – Postkarte – Post Card – Cartolina Postale) with a small publisher crest and the series number 1600. Undivided backs place the printing before the divided-back changeover, and the Italian captions and typography point to an Italian publisher of the late 1890s to mid 1900s. The set is scarce: no other example of this series surfaced in searching, and complete matched sets of this era rarely survive intact.
Descrizione in italiano
Serie completa di 12 cartoline cromolitografiche italiane dedicate alla vita di Cristoforo Colombo, dal convento della Ráoffera alla morte a Valladolid. Tutte e dodici le cartoline sono presenti, non viaggiate e in ottime condizioni, stampate su cartoncino a grana con colori cromolitografici brillanti. Retro indiviso (UPU) con stemma dell'editore e numero di serie 1600, databile 1898–1906 circa. Serie rara: nessun altro esemplare reperito.
Condition
Unused and unposted — no writing, no stamps, no postmarks. Bright, fresh chromolithographic color across all twelve; corners and edges clean with only the lightest handling expected of the age. Sold as the complete twelve-card set; the cards are not sold separately.
Shipping
Ships protected between rigid boards in a sleeve, tracked.
About Scanthology
Scanthology specializes in carefully digitized vintage paper. Every card is scanned at high resolution, stored flat, and shipped protected. Questions welcome -- thanks for looking!
