Not every globe maker was appointed Cartographer to the Royal Court of Louis XV. De Vaugondy was known in his time for the latest and best charts while also excelling in the decorative aspects. Our reproduction of a special globe, dedicated to the King himself, was reduced from 18cm to appr. 9cm. Anyone with an interest in history, discovery or exploration will love this treasure, with its finely drawn coast lines and stippled lines, showing the routes of famous explorers. There is simply no other globe of this quality available at this price point. L. - in. / - cm. W. - in. / - cm. H. 3.54 in. / 8.99 cm. Diam. 3.35 in. / 8.51 cm.
 

Not every globe maker was appointed Cartographer to the Royal Court of Louis XV. De Vaugondy was known in his time for the latest and best charts while also excelling in the decorative aspects. Our reproduction of a special globe, dedicated to the King himself, was reduced from 18cm to appr. 9cm. Anyone with an interest in history, discovery or exploration will love this treasure, with its finely drawn coast lines and stippled lines, showing the routes of famous explorers. There is simply no other globe of this quality available at this price point. L. - in. / - cm. W. - in. / - cm. H. 6.3 in. / 16 cm. Diam. 5.51 in. / 14 cm.
 

The Center of the Universe? Armillary spheres are early educational instruments that helped illustrate astronomical arrangements and motions. They demonstrate the Copernican concept of the Earth as the center of the Universe. Early man, looking at the heavens, believed that stars were fixed to the surface of a rotating sphere. Globes and armillary spheres are usually pivoted so that they can turn about an axis to represent the apparent daily rotation of the sky. The axis can be tilted at an angle to correspond with the latitude of the place of observation. The path of the sun is indicated by a wide band called the ecliptic circle. It is marked with dates to trace the sun’s annual passage around the globe. The earliest spheres were constructed by Greek astronomers like Hipparchus. L. - in. / - cm. W. - in. / - cm. H. 13.19 in. / 33.5 cm. Diam. 8.66 in. / 22 cm.
 

A pocket universe… It’s difficult to describe the feeling of going through a box of rubbish in an antique store and coming across a true treasure. This time my fingertips did the recognition even before my eyes saw it. A small sharkskin covered sphere, two hinged halves, a tiny lock. Inside was a precious little globe, issued by Ferguson of London in 1756. The inside of the case was covered with twelve celestial paper gores, making the globe nest in the center of its proper universe as known at the time. It happened in the sixties at London’s Bermondsey Market. It was 5 AM, and I managed to buy it for less than twenty pounds. Why did I later sell it? I guess because I was a budding antique dealer at the time, agonizing over which direction to go; medieval religious art, or scientific and nautical? L. - in. / - cm. W. - in. / - cm. H. 4.13 in. / 10.49 cm. Diam. 3.35 in. / 8.51 cm.
 

The Earth and The Heavens A.D. 1551 The amazingly correct globes issued by Mercator in 1551 were available only to the privileged few.