Sketch for a Picture--Columbus before the Council of Salamanca (A) (Christopher Columbus before the Council of Salamanca)

This second Columbus before the Council of Salamanca sketch by William Merritt Chase represents a variant compositional approach to the same historical subject as its companion. The existence of two sketches for a single history painting project demonstrates the methodical preparatory process Chase employed during his Munich years in the mid-1870s. The subject — Columbus defending his proposal to sail west to reach Asia before skeptical Spanish academics — was a popular 19th-century history painting theme resonating with themes of visionary persistence against institutional resistance. Both sketches preserve Chase's working process at a formative moment in his development.

Like the companion sketch, this version shows broad, tonal underpainting with loose figure groupings that prioritize mass and light over individual characterization. Chase's Munich brushwork is fluid and confident, with paint dragged and blended freely to establish the overall chiaroscuro effect.