Columbus Before the Queen

Columbus Before the Queen is an oil-on-canvas painting by German-American painter Emanuel Leutze.

The Genoese navigator is at the center of the composition, set at the Spanish court, where he addresses the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, both enthroned, while trying to convince them to support his plan to reach India by travelling west.

The set seems Moorish, possibly relating to the recent conquest of the Kingdom of Granada in 1492.

Several male and female courtiers are present, while a monk unveils a nautical chart in support of Columbus project.

[2] The painting, which measures 97.9 x 129.4 cm, is typical of the historical genre cultivated by Leutze.