Beschreibung:

HOMANN, Johann Baptist (1664-1724), Nuremberg Opera Ioh. Bapt. HOMANNI Sac. Cas. Ma. Geographi Noriberg [c.1705/15] An extremely fine and rare 2½-inch (6.6cm.) diameter miniature terrestrial globe, made up of twelve finely engraved hand-coloured paper gores and two polar calottes, most of the text in Latin, a cartouche in the Pacific Ocean reading GLOBUS TERRESTRIS juxta observationes Parisienses Regia Academia Scientiarum constructus , the equatorial graduated in degrees 0°-360°, the prime meridian running through Iceland and graduated in twice 90°, the ecliptic graduated in days of the houses of the Zodiac with sigils, the oceans with little extraneous detail save the GroBe Banck off Nova Scotia and numerous islands in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar, no Antarctic land mass shown, the continents strongly coloured in outline and delicately shaded green (Europe), pink (Asia), yellow (Africa) and pale green (the Americas) and showing rivers and mountains, some towns and cities, and certain place names including AETHIOPIA (central Africa), Cafreria (South Africa), Asia labelled TARTARIA MAGNA , a small portion of western coastline shown off Japan labelled Compagn Land , Australia labelled NOVA HOLLANDIA and shown separate from New Guinea but with only the western and northern coastline marked and the southern tip of Diemens Land , New Zealand with only a portion of western coastline shown, North America with California shown as an island and no north-western coastline, Greenland likewise with no northern coastline ( some rubbing to paper ), contained in the original spherical leather case with gilt-tooled decoration and one hook and eye, the interior laid with two sets of twelve finely engraved and hand-coloured celestial gores, separating at the celestial equator but laid to the ecliptic poles, with two cartouches reading Opera IO. B. HOMANNI S.C.M. Geographi Norinbergæ and GLOBUS COELESTIS juxta Observationes Parisienses exhibitus , with a further cartouche showing the stars to six orders of magnitude plus nebulae, the equatorial graduated in degrees, the ecliptic graduated in days of the houses of the Zodiac with sigils, the constellations brightly coloured and depicted by mythical beasts and figures and some objects, with names in Latin ( some slight staining ) See Front Cover, Colour Illustration and Details