Standbeeld van Christoffel Columbus in Genua c. 1875

This photograph by Celestino Degoix captures the imposing marble statue of Christopher Columbus in Genoa. The choice of marble itself speaks volumes. It's a material associated with permanence and grandeur, historically quarried and carved through intensive labor. Notice how the stone has been worked to create both smooth, idealized forms for Columbus himself and more textured, allegorical figures around the base. The process of quarrying, transporting, and sculpting marble was a massive undertaking, and here it’s all in the service of celebrating Columbus, a figure synonymous with exploration, colonization, and the global movement of goods and people, which is inextricably bound to questions of labor and class. This photograph then isn’t just a record of a statue, but also a marker of the social and economic forces at play during its creation. Ultimately, considering the materials, the making process, and the historical context allows us to understand how this artwork is a complex intersection of craft, labor, and cultural narratives.