ABSTRACT

By the late 1500s the relationship between the Holy Roman Empire and the Church had become even more strained. Threatened by the rise of nationalism, the papacy had continued its efforts to present itself as a supra-national entity. Stradano's illustrations harmonize with Tavarone's Columbus frescos and the sketch referred to as the Apotheosis of Columbus. By the end of the Council of Trent Columbus epics had become increasingly fictionalized and embellished with details that underlined and embraced the notion of Columbus's "discovery" as providential. Giulio Cesare Stella's Columbeidos libri priores duo is equally typical of the poetic and political appeal of the Columbus material in the Counter-Reformation. Stella was from a noble Roman family, was educated at the Collegio Romano and served as Honorary Papal Chamberlain under Clement VII, Leo XI, Paul V and Gregory XV.