AN EARLY ITLALIAN COPY OF THE HONDIUS CELESTIAL GLOBE
AN EARLY ITALIAN COPY OF THE HONDIUS CELESTIAL GLOBE

GIUSEPPE DE ROSSI (FL.1615), MILAN OR ROME

Details
AN EARLY ITALIAN COPY OF THE HONDIUS CELESTIAL GLOBE
Giuseppe de Rossi (fl.1615), Milan or Rome
the 8-inch (20.5cm.) diameter celestial globe made up of twelve engraved paper gores laid to the ecliptic poles, the axis through the celestial pole, cartouche above Gemini: GLOBUS Coelesti in quo stelle fixae omnes quae aN. Viro Tychone Brahe sumacura obseruatae sunt accuratissime dessignantur: quibus adiuncte sunt circa Pol Aust. stel: quae a peritiss: nauclero Perto Theodori annotates sunt simul accomodate ad ann 1614 ; aeditus uero ann. 1615, graduated ecliptic and equator, the constellations depicted pictorially, showing the nebulae and stars to six orders of magnitude; supported in later brass meridian ring, the stand with engraved paper Dutch horizon ring, on four turned ebonised wooden legs, joined by cross-stretchers with moulded platforms centred by support for globe.
15½in. (39cm.) high
Literature
Milansei, M & Schmidt, R. sfere del cielo sfere della terra (Venice, 2007) p.50 & 59, VII56-57
Stevenson, E.L. Terrestrial and Celestial Globes (New Haven, 1921) Vol II p.13.
van der Krogt, P. Globi Neerlandici (Utrecht, 1993)

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Lot Essay

Van der Krogt (1993) HonIIIR, who suggests a publication date of post 1618 as the cartography copies the second state of Jodocus Hondius's (1563-1612) celestial that year. Milanesi & Schmidt note "these globes faithfully reproduce a pair by Jodocus Hondius ... with only the dedication and date altered". There is little known about Rossi, he may be related to a family of the same name publishing cartographic material in Rome from the mid-17th century. His relationship with Hondius is also unclear. If he had access to Hondius's printing plates or copied the gores himself isn't certain; his celestial globes are margnially more common, probably indicating a larger number were made (van der Krogt records seven by Rossi and five by Hondius -- not including this example) and often have the horizon rings published in Latin and Flemish (not Italian).

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