Stolen 15th-century Christopher Columbus letter returned to Italy
One of Christopher Columbus's stolen letters from the 15th century has been returned to Italy, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The letter that was repatriated is believed to have been stolen in the 1980s from the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice, Italy. It was then found decades later in 2020 in the possession of a private collector in the United States.
What is the letter about?
The letter, written in Latin is one of about 30 early editions of the explorer's letter from 1493 to Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella that have survived. The letters were intended to inform and announce the monarchs about Columbus's discoveries on his New World voyage. Supposedly, his voyages were financed by the king and the queen.
The letter was valued at $1.3 million when discovered initially
This repatriated letter is known as a Plannck I edition. The letter was delivered to Rome, where it was printed in Latin as a pamphlet by the renowned printer of the time Stephan Plannck. He then delivered to libraries throughout Europe. The letter was valued at over $1.3 million (Rs. 10 crore), when it was found in 2020, according to the US Attorney's Office.
How did the letter get rediscovered?
ICE and the US Attorney's Office of Delaware revealed that investigators discovered the collector had unsuspectingly bought the letter from a rare book dealer in the US in 2003. "This is the fourth original edition of this letter stolen over the past decades and we could not be happier to return it," said Patrick J. Lechleitner Deputy Director of ICE in a statement.
About 20k artifacts have been discovered since 2007
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has recovered three additional Plannck II Columbus letters, stolen from different locations, such as the National Library of Catalonia, Barcelona; the Riccardiana Library, Florence; and the Vatican Apostolic Library, Vatican City, since 2011. Besides, since 2007, HSI investigations have led to the return of over 20,000 artifacts to more than 40 nations and institutions.
