Valuable letter with which Columbus announced the discovery of America returns to Italy

An incunabulum from 1493 in which Christopher Columbus, returning from the Americas, announces the discovery of the New World to the Spanish royalty , has been returned to Italy thirty-five years after it was stolen. It is the epistle De Insulis Indiae supera Gangem nuper inventis, written by Columbus and printed in Rome by Stephan Plannck after April 29, 1493: the precious writing had been stolen, at a time before 1988, from the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice.

The document consists of eight pages written in Latin and is of great historical-bibliographical importance, as well as of considerable commercial value. The Columbus letter was in the hands of a wealthy collector from Dallas, later found to be a bona fide holder. The latter, informed of the illicit provenance of the asset, on the basis of evidence and findings gathered by the Carabinieri Command of the Nucleo Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, did not oppose the confiscation put in place by the Philadelphia Prosecutor’s Office and the final restitution to the Italian state.

A number of rare incunabula of Christopher Columbus, which were being monitored by U.S. investigators for the alleged presence of forgeries and other documents evidently stolen from Italian and European libraries, had flowed into the U.S. market. The checks were conducted by the Carabinieri art and American investigators from H.S.I. (Homeland Security Investigation), with the fundamental contribution of Professor Paul Swope Needham, curator of the ancient books section of the University Library of Princeton (USA), an expert of recognized competence and collaborator with the American police. The investigation, coordinated by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office, stemmed from the continuation of activities that in 2016 led to the recovery of another copy of the Columbus letter stolen from the Biblioteca Riccardiana in Florence and replaced with a forgery. The Carabinieri, in agreement with the judiciary, will see to its return to the Biblioteca Marciana.

The ceremony for the return of the incunabulum, which was held today in Rome at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture, was attended by the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Commander of the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Brigadier General Vincenzo Molinese, the Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Court of Rome, Angelantonio Racanelli, the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Patrick J. Lechleitner, the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the U.S. Embassy, Shawn Crowley.

“Works of art,” said Minister Sangiuliano, “all express value, each with its own characteristics, but this incunabulum is linked to a fundamental name in our identity geography that of Christopher Columbus. This asset, recovered thanks to the valuable work of the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Command and the fundamental cooperation with the U.S. authorities, will be returned to the Marciana National Library in Venice, and on this occasion, together with the President of the Region Luca Zaia, plans are being made to create a traveling exhibition dedicated to Columbus in the cities of the Veneto region.”

“Italy and the United States,” noted ICE Acting Director Patrick J. Lechleitner, “maintain a strong partnership, particularly on law enforcement issues, from investigating drug trafficking and disrupting money laundering networks to combating cybercrime, dismantling organized crime, and protecting cultural heritage. We are full partners in the fight against crime.”

“The recovery of the letter,” says U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Shawn Crowley. “represents a testimony not only to the effective collaboration between Italy and the United States, but also to the teamwork and perseverance of the Italians and Americans who made it possible.”

“The return of the Christopher Columbus letter,” said General Molinese, “testifies once again to the valuable Italian-American collaboration in the field of judicial and police cooperation, in particular, between the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Homeland Security Investigations. With the coordination of the judiciaries of the two countries, this work has made it possible to return an important historical and cultural testimony to the Italian heritage. The Carabinieri dell’Arte, with undiminished passion, continue their untiring commitment to the protection of cultural heritage, among other things, thanks to the constant synergy with the Ministry of Culture. The vestiges of history and art are the heritage of all humanity and must be preserved. An example of this is the document returned today where Christopher Columbus describes his journey to the New World.”

Valuable letter with which Columbus announced the discovery of America returns to Italy

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