In Chapter 6 of Book I of the Century of Columbus, James J. Walsh describes the remarkable rise of Italian sculpture in the 15th century, rivaling ancient Greece in creativity and technical mastery. He highlights Donatello, Verrocchio, Luca della Robbia, Cellini, and John of Bologna (Giambologna), noting their landmark innovations in bronze, marble, and terracotta. The Century of Columbus by James Joseph Walsh offers a comprehensive exploration of the late 15th to early 16th century, emphasizing the pivotal role of Catholic faith and culture in shaping the era’s intellectual, artistic, and exploratory achievements. Walsh, a Catholic historian, portrays the period as a golden age of Catholic civilization, highlighting figures like Christopher Columbus, whose voyages were driven by a missionary zeal to spread Christianity alongside discovery. The book celebrates the Church’s influence on the Renaissance, with its patronage of arts and sciences, and defends the Catholic worldview against secular critiques, presenting the period as a harmonious blend of faith and reason that profoundly shaped Western civilization. James Joseph Walsh (1865–1942) was an American physician, author, and Catholic intellectual born in Archbald, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Fordham College in 1884, earned a PhD in 1892, and an MD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1895, followed by postgraduate studies in Paris, Vienna, and Berlin. Settling in New York, he served as Dean and Professor of nervous diseases and medical history at Fordham University’s School of Medicine, where he founded the Fordham University Press. A prolific writer, Walsh authored numerous books and articles on medicine, science, and the Catholic Church’s contributions to both, including the bestselling The Thirteenth, Greatest of Centuries. A staunch Catholic apologist, he combated anti-Catholic sentiment, and received the Laetare Medal from Notre Dame in 1916. He died in New York City in 1942