Letter from a Disgraced Admiral

The man who delivered a vast empire in America to the Catholic Monarchs, Christopher Columbus, was a person endowed with insight and cunning. Obsessed with saving his skin from the bad reputation he was earning as governor of Hispaniola, Columbus made an effort to regain the favor of the Crown. When the admiral was going through a rough patch, he entrusted his son with a task. He had to give Queen Isabella a half-kilo gold nugget. That gift, whose fame was growing on the other side of the ocean, aimed to ingratiate himself with Isabella and get her to heed his demands. Despite all his virtues, the conqueror also had many flaws, including being an incorrigible flatterer. He ordered his son to give the gift after lunch when he knew the queen was in a better mood. This is recounted in a handwritten letter by Columbus dated April 29, 1504, which is on display at the exhibition that the Casa de Alba Foundation has just inaugurated at the Liria Palace in Madrid. The exhibition gathers 150 pieces, among which stand out the '24 Autographs of Christopher Columbus,' which can be admired in full for the first time.

Beyond the illustrious cartographer, the explorer who traveled to new confines, and the governor of the West Indies—a role in which he did not excel precisely for his good administration—the exhibition reveals the most intimate facet of the discoverer through very little-known documents. The exhibition 'Columbus's Letters: America in Casa de Alba,' curated by Consuelo Varela, includes dozens of letters, maps, paintings, and objects related to the Genoese. Other papers attest to Christopher Columbus's private sphere, such as the letter sent by the navigator to his son Diego in which it reads: "Your father who loves you so."

Varela, a researcher at CSIC's School of Hispanic American Studies and an authority on the admiral's figure, points out that the most important part of the exhibition is the 24 autographs, ranging from personal letters to documents sent to the Catholic Monarchs, including receipts or reports about his voyages and early years of governance. Some papers are entirely written by the discoverer, while others merely bear his signature or include autograph notes. Thus, Liria Palace preserves the roster of sailors from the first voyage, detailing the list of crew members who enlisted in 1492; the oldest autograph we have; seven of the eleven letters he sent to his friend Friar Gaspar de Gorricio; and also the last preserved letter sent to his son Diego.

The exhibition delves into Casa de Alba's presence in the New World. The institution actively participated in governing viceroyalties and was closely related to presidents of the Council of Indies. The lineage soon became linked with Columbus through Diego's marriage—the discoverer's son—to María de Toledo y Rojas, niece of Duke of Alba. From this branch was born Catalina Ventura Colón de Portugal in 1690, who married Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, II Duke of Berwick. Thus, the family accessed a rich heritage that had belonged to the admiral as well as his documentary archive.

The exhibition proposes a journey through its five sections, from Columbus's early voyages to organizing the IV Centenary of Discovery in 1892. One of its gems is Nobiliario de Indias—a documentary set composed of 236 coats of arms granted by Kings Charles V, Joanna I, and Philip II to Spanish conquerors, indigenous nobles, and cities. These reflect two worlds' union through heraldry, complex alliances between Spaniards and indigenous people, and new cities' foundations. Noteworthy are early coats of arms for towns like Lima, Guadalajara, Santiago de Chile among many others. "The Spanish Crown wanted to equate indigenous nobility with Castilian nobility. Hence they all received very beautifully illuminated coats," says Álvaro Romero, cultural director at Casa de Alba Foundation.

The exhibition does not shy away from Columbus's fall from grace—returning from his third voyage shackled and accused of numerous misdeeds in Indies. His management over newly discovered lands was indeed a fiasco; around 1500 alarming reports began arriving at Peninsula. "He was undoubtedly a very poor governor," says Varela." If by 1498 at least 1,200 men went onto Hispaniola where he was viceroy—in 1500 there were not even 300 Spaniards left there," asserts expert." They even sent judge for trial; there are 22 witnesses speaking about cruelty within administration," she adds.

"Although theoretically Columbus returned to Spain as prisoner—the Catholic Monarchs allowed him fourth voyage—the last one—as he was very persuasive; dedicating himself towards writing memorials on how badly treated he felt—three out four we have are exhibited," argues curator.

Two pieces hold enormous historical value: notebook from Columbus’s first voyage containing north coast mapping for Hispaniola—and first coat given by kings during1493." It’s first representation existing regarding what they imagined America looked like—this piece never exhibited before—only once during Chicago1892," states Romero.