4240

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 50; Larghezza: 30; Profondità: 30

vetro, cristallo, legno

ex museid

After his death on 20 May 1506, Columbus was buried in Valladolid. By decision of his descendants, his remains were first transferred to Seville, then - between 1537 and 1559 - to Santo Domingo, then to Havana and then - following the war against the United States (1898) - back to Seville, where today a monumental tomb is dedicated to him in the city's cathedral. However, in 1877, Monsignor Cocchia, apostolic nuncio in Santo Domingo, after opening Columbus' old tomb, claimed that the body transferred from the island was not that of Christopher but of his son Diego, and that the remains still present there belonged to the navigator.

A few years later, the ashes were donated by the government of Santo Domingo to the City of Genoa and kept for years in Palazzo Tursi, in the Sala della Giunta Vecchia. The corners of the base of the case are made up of four winged sea horses.

On the lid is the coat of arms of Genoa held up by two winged griffins and a woman with a sword and anchor.

Inside the case is a glass ampoule containing the ashes of the Navigator.