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
Globes indicating (a) an Asiatic connection of the New
World, (b) globes expressing a doubt of such Old World
connection, (c) globes showing an independent position of
the New World.—Franciscus Monachus.—Hakluyt’s
reference.—The Gilt globe.—Parmentier.—Francesco
Libri.—Nancy globe.—Globes of Gemma Frisius.—Robertus
de Bailly.—Schöner globe of
1533.—Scheipp.—Furtembach.—Paris Wooden globe.—Vopel
globes.—Santa Cruz.—Hartmann gores.—Important globe of
Ulpius.—Cardinal Bembo’s globes.—Mercator’s epoch-making
activity.—Fracastro.—Ramusio’s references to
globes.—Gianelli.—Florence celestial globe.
As in the first quarter of the sixteenth century, so in the second we
find engraved brass and copper globes, globes with manuscript maps, and
those with printed or engraved gore maps. Since the latter in this
period have especially found favor, attention is more and more directed
toward the shaping of the segments or gores with that mathematical
nicety which, as previously stated, would admit of a perfect or almost
perfect adjustment when they were applied to the surface of a prepared
ball.
To the independent position of the New World as represented on the globe
maps prior to 1525 attention has been called in the preceding chapter,
but the idea of such independence, it may here be noted, is one contrary
to that very generally though erroneously entertained by historians who
have written of the period, an error doubtless in large measure due to
a failure on their part to give proper heed to the record of the maps as
expressing the geographical notions commonly accepted. Harrisse has well
stated the case in referring to the geographical opinions of the
earliest explorers, observing that the moment search began for a
waterway leading from Oceanus Occidentalis to Oceanus Orientalis, that
moment opinion began to become conviction that a new continental region
had been found, that a New World had been discovered,[198] and
practically all of the early explorers had hope of finding such a
waterway. It is very true that more than two hundred years passed from
Columbus’ day before there was positive proof of an independence of the
newly found land, but the earliest map makers outlined it as if
believing in its independence of an Old World or Asiatic
connection.[199] The so-called Bartholomew Columbus sketch maps,[200]
probably drawn in the first decade of the sixteenth century (Fig. 47),
alone can be cited, among the maps of any particular importance in the
first quarter of this century, as distinctly indicating a belief in an
Asiatic connection. Attention was likewise called in the preceding
chapter to the fact that toward the close of the century’s first quarter
the idea that a veritably independent new continent had been found was
beginning to be doubted.[201] This doubt seemed to follow close upon the
publication of the report of Magellan’s expedition.[202] It indeed
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