GLOBVS COELESTIS PLUSQUAM 2500 STELLARUM AD A.1762 EX CAT FLAMST CALCULATORUM, DESIGNATUS A G. M. LOWITZ, & EDITG AB HOM. HERED 1747

Details

LOWITZ, GEORG MORITZ, NUREMBERG, 1747
GLOBVS COELESTIS plusquam 2500 Stellarum ad A.1762 ex Cat Flamst calculatorum, designatus a G. M. Lowitz, & editg ab Hom. Hered 1747
A fine and rare 5¼-inch (13.3cm.) diameter celestial table globe made up of twelve finely engraved gores, the equatorial graduated in individual degrees and labelled every 10°, a further cartouche reading Illustrissimæ Academiæ Scientiarii Regiæ Borussicæ sacrum cupit Auctor, a table showing the stars to six orders of magnitude, the constellations finely depicted by mythical beasts and figures and labelled in Latin, many of the stars labelled with Greek characters, some named, the stamped brass meridan circle divided in four quadrants, lacking brass hour dial, mounted on a later black-painted and parcel-gilt kneeling Atlas figure and a later plinth base, minor losses to the globe and figure
The globe 16cm. diam. and the figure 41cm. high
See illustration

Special notice

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Lot Essay

Georg Moritz Lowitz (1722-1774) joined the Nuremburg firm of the Homann Heirs (designated Hom Hered on the maker's cartouche) in 1746. He had plans to produce a number of globes including one of 36in. diameter, but the only results were a 5¼in. pair before he left in 1757 to become professor of mathematics at Göttingen University. His globes continued to be reissued by the firm, however, with editions appearing in 1779 and 1810. As for Lowitz, in 1767 he moved to St Petersburg to join the Russian service as a surveyor and was murdered by Cossacks whilst working in the Volga region.
The cartography for Lowitz's celestial globe is based on the star catalogue of English Royal astronomer John Flamsteed (1646-1719) published in 1725, even down to the design of the constellations. His work was excellent, although very few of these rather attractive globes appear to have been produced.

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