United States 2626b (239)

     In 1491 Columbus met with Franciscans at a monastery at La Rabida in Spain, seeking assistance in bringing his plans before the court. There he presented his plans and convinced them of their value. In 1486 he approached the royal court in Cordova.

     The stamp is based on a painting, Columbus Before the Franciscans at La Rabida by Felipe Maso de Falp (1851-1929).  It is a reproduction of US 239. In it we see Columbus using a table-model globe to make his presentation. However, the first globe we know of was a floor-model globe made in 1492 by Martin Behaim in Nuremberg.