ARTIST: Tom McNeely (Canadian, born 1935)
NAME: Columbus Ship Approaching Land
YEAR: 1992
MEDIUM: watercolor on paper
CONDITION: Excellent.
SIGHT SIZE: 23 x 21 inches / 58 x 53 cm
MAT SIZE: 29 x 25 inches / 73 x 63 cm
SIGNATURE: lower right
NOTE: This painting is the original which was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 29c Columbus Voyage; Approaching Land issued April 24, 1992. By the 5th century B.C., Greek astronomers and mathematicians realized the earth was spherical in shape. Several centuries later, a mathematician named Eratosthenes calculated a surprisingly accurate circumference of the earth, but his discoveries were overshadowed by Ptolemy, an Egyptian mathematician of the 2nd century B.C. whose observations of astronomy and geography guided scientific thought until the 16th century. Experienced mariners such as Columbus followed Ptolemy's dictums, but his ancient miscalculations of the earth's circumference made land masses appear much closer by sea than they actually were. Despite some popular legends, few sailors of Columbus's day believed the world was flat. When mutinous rumblings echoed below the decks of his ships, Columbus knew it was not fear of falling off the edge of the world that roused his crews' ire -- it was fear of the wind. The caravels, built to sail into the wind, had never before carried sailors so far from home. Could these sturdy ships carry them safely back to Spain against strong easterly winds? With rousing cries of "Adelante!", Columbus allayed their fears and assured them that land would soon be sighted. Events proved him right, for the Journal of the First Voyage dated October 12 recorded: "At two hours after midnight appeared the land, at a distance of two leagues." Convinced they had reached the rich Indies, Columbus and his men waited to see what manner of land sunrise brought to light.
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
CATEGORY: antique vintage painting
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BIOGRAPHY:
Born and raised a Cherokee, Sequoyah never spoke English, yet he watched in awe and wonderment as the white man looked at "talking leaves" and the leaves spoke to him. To be able to glance at a sheet full of another person's thoughts was like "catching a wild animal and taming it," he reasoned. He yearned to document his tribe's speech so that the leaves could speak to his people too. Sequoyah felt certain that this was the key to freedom from the white man. In 1809, Sequoyah tried representing tribal words with small animal figures and symbols, but the list grew hopelessly long. Next, he broke the words into syllables and designated symbols for each one. For twelve years he tirelessly labored toward his dream, often using a charred stick on a piece of bark as his writing tools. In 1821, he was ready to put his syllabary to the test. Men whispered a message to Sequoyah's child and the child wrote the message. Then, without faltering, Sequoyah read the message aloud. The skeptics were forever silenced. Soon, thousands of Indians mastered the eighty-six characters and could read and write. Sadly, despite this written language and Sequoyah's dream of freedom, white men still considered Cherokees as savages, to be relocated at their whim. Fortunately, today the Indian civilization is more highly regarded. In fact, the great Sequoyah is namesake to California's Sequoia National Park.