Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 1: Their History and Construction Including a Consideration of their Value as Aids in the Study of Geography and AstronomyStevenson, Edward Luther
History
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 1: Their History and Construction Including a Consideration of their Value as Aids in the Study of Geography and Astronomy
Stevenson, Edward Luther
Geography -- History; Globes
The oceans, lakes, and rivers have a silver surface, while the
continents, islands, sea monsters, sailing vessels, principal parallels,
and meridians are gilded. The continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa,
and the “terra australis sive Magallanica” have their outlines drawn in
the main as they appear on Mercator’s map of 1569. While certain recent
discoveries as “Nowaja Semlja” (Nova Zembla) are represented, it does
not appear that Gessner was inclined to insist on his map records being
laid down with the strictest accuracy as to geographical detail.
The celestial globe topping the goblet is given an artistic setting. It
is furnished with horizon, meridian, and hour circles. The several
constellations represented on the surface of the sphere are, through
gilding, given special prominence, their execution, like other parts of
the piece, being of the finest workmanship.
The figure of Atlas supporting the globes exhibits skill in its
construction. It stands with one foot slightly advanced, with the right
hand extended upward as if to catch the ball should it fall from the
head of the figure. The hair and the beard are gilded, as is also the
drapery, one end of which hangs loosely over the right shoulder, while
the other covers the front of the body and is held in the left hand at
the back, being made to serve in part as a support.
Fischer calls attention to two globe-goblets belonging to the University
of Basel and to one privately owned; to one in the town hall of
Rappoltsweiler; one in what was formerly the Rothschild Collection of
Frankfurt, and to one in the Museum of Stockholm, once the property of
Gustavus Adolphus, which probably is the one elsewhere referred to; and
he also calls attention to an undated globe-goblet, purchased in Paris
in the year 1901 by the Swiss National Museum of Zürich for the sum of
forty-two thousand francs. It had previously been referred to by Marcel
as the work of Gessner, in proof of which he noted that it bears the
mark of this goldsmith, the same being the letter “Z.” The terrestrial
globe, like that of Wolfegg, has a diameter of 17 cm., the whole being
very artistically designed and engraved. It, too, is surmounted by a
celestial globe and rests on a figure of Atlas, which figure in turn
stands upon an ornamental base. Each of the two globes can be opened on
the line of the equator, thus practically making four drinking cups. On
the terrestrial globe, Marcel notes, California is represented as an
island. Near “Nova Guinea” one finds the inscription “Nova Guinea semper
inventa qual ... insula an pars continentas australis.” A large austral
land is represented with the inscription “Hanc continentem australem
nonvulli Magelanicam regionem ab ejus inventore nuncupant.” The absence
of the Strait of Lemaire and of New Zealand, with the representation of
the austral land with more or less indefinite outline, Marcel thinks
warrants a belief that it was constructed near the close of the
sixteenth century.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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