COLUMBIAN WORLDS FAIR SPOONS

QUEEN ISABELLA

Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain  were finally persuaded by Christopher Columbus  to provide financing for his
voyage west to  India and China. As we all know, instead he found a new huge land mass between Europe and Asia.

Columbus' negotiations with the Spanish monarchs were quite difficult and several times they turned down his request
for funding and ships. It was only after he started to leave Spain for France that Isabella and Ferdinand
sent a messenger to ask him to return to Cordoba. Isabella, the "Servant of God" according to the Catholic Church
is reputed to have sold off some of her personal jewels to finance Columbus.




Sterling spoons from the Chicago Worlds Fair themed for Queen Isabella



Columbus returning to the Queen to announce his discovery




Rare Spanish language spoon from the Columbian Worlds Fair



Columbus stayed at this monastery in the town of Palos de la Frontera for two years until he gained an audience with the King and Queen.
 Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros was the confessor for Isabella and he interceded on Columbus' behalf.



Return to Columbian worlds fair index

Return to spoon planet exhibits index