Doppelmayr's smallest globes
By DOPPELMAYR, Johann Gabriel , 1736
£36,000
BUY

Globus Terrestris Novus [and] Globus Coelestis Novus. opera Ioh. Gab. Doppelmaireri M.P.P. exhibitus a Ioh Georg: Puschnero Chalcogr Norib A. 1736 [and] cura I.G. Doppelmaieri M.P.P. adoratus a I.G. Puschnero Calcogr Norib A.1736.

Globes
  • Author: DOPPELMAYR, Johann Gabriel
  • Publication place: Nuremberg
  • Publisher: I.G. Puschero
  • Publication date: 1736; [celestial globe dated 1735].
  • Physical description: Terrestrial and celestial globes, each with 12 hand-coloured engraved paper gores, over a papier mâché and plaster sphere, brass meridian ring, wooden octagonal horizon ring, supported on four turned bone columns united by cross-stretchers under the turned base, with four bun feet. Terrestrial globe gores occasionally worn with loss, recent infill to the coastline of eastern South America, celestial globe with very minor wear in two places.
  • Dimensions: Diameter: 100mm (4 inches).
  • Inventory reference: 15671

Notes

Biography
Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr (?1677-1750) was an astronomer and geographer who, from 1704 until his death, occupied the post of Professor of Mathematics at the Aegidien Gymnasium at Nuremberg. His activities as a globemaker formed part of his efforts to popularize the new scientific ideas of the Enlightenment in Germany. For that purpose, he translated several works into German, one of which was N. Bion’s work on globes. He also produced several celestial maps, which were later included into his most famous work ‘Atlas novus coelestia’ of 1742, published by the house of Johann Baptist Homann.

Between 1728 and 1736 Doppelmayr designed pairs of globes of several sizes – 100, 200 and 320mm (4, 8 and 12.5 inches) – in co-operation with the Nuremberg engraver Johann Georg Puschner I (1680-1749).

Geography
The cartography on this globe is the same as Doppelmayr’s 320mm (12.5 inches) globes of 1728 and 200mm (8 inches) globes of 1730, however there are no exploration tracks drawn.

Astronomy
The cartography is given in Latin, the equator and ecliptic are both graduated and labelled. The constellations are depicted as mythical beasts and figures and some scientific instruments. Below “Carter” (ie Crater) appears a magnitude table labelled “Magnit: Stell:”. The Magellanic Clouds are shown but not labelled. The globe depicts 48 Ptolemaic constellations, as well as the non-Ptolemaic constellations of Coma Berenices, Antinous, Crux and Columba. It also presents the 12 southern constellations of Plancius, and all of those of Hevelius.

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