4238

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 30; Larghezza: 20

carta- inchiostro

Columbus has just returned from his fourth and final voyage and notes, among the many disappointments that his return has brought him, that he has received no reply from Genoa to his letter of 2 April 1502. The letters had actually been sent via the new Genoese ambassador to the Spanish court, Gerolamo Di Negro, but they were never delivered to Christopher or his son. Columbus is bitter and disappointed: he writes that ‘those who serve the community serve no one’. He then informs his friend of Queen Isabella's death and the problems her son Diego is encountering in enjoying his rights. With his ties to Genoa now severed, except for personal friendships, Columbus began the last period of his life, enjoying material comforts such as money and servants but suffering personal anguish over his worsening health and the future of his descendants. This period ended with his death at the Spanish court in Valladolid on 20 May 1506. Handwritten letter.