Antique Print, Columbus and his Egg, Washington Irving, 1892 Romance Fiction Art (AR-A564)
 
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This print depicts the story of Christopher Columbus and the egg, a well-known apocryphal tale. The story describes a dinner party where some Spanish noblemen were downplaying Columbus's achievements, suggesting that anyone could have made the journey to the New World. In response, Columbus challenged them to make an egg stand on its end. After they all failed, he gently tapped the egg on the table to flatten one end, allowing it to stand upright. He then stated that it was only easy to do after someone had shown them how. 
This particular wood engraving was created by Leo Reiffenstein in 1892 for an illustration in Washington Irving's book on Columbus. The story itself, however, has an older origin, with a similar tale being attributed to Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi regarding the construction of the Florence Cathedral's dome before it was applied to Columbus. 
Also included is the tissue paper covering with a brief description of the scene.
This is an original,  not a reproduction. It came from a destroyed 1st edition book published in 1892 by Selmar Hess called Character Sketches of Romance Fiction and Drama. There is some damage, aging to the bound side of the print. All prints are either wood engravings, etchings, photogravure, or typogravure.
Approx Size - 11.5"x 9"
Great for framing, assemblage, collage art, scrapbooking, college or school reports, research