GLOBE TERRESTRE, J. LEBÈGUE & CIE ÉDITEURS 25, RUE DE LILLE, 25, PARIS [C.1910]

Details

LEBEGUE & Cie, J., Paris
GLOBE TERRESTRE, J. LEBÈGUE & CIE ÉDITEURS 25, rue de Lille, 25, PARIS [c.1910]
A 12-inch (30.5cm.) diameter terrestrial globe made up of twelve chromolithographed gores and one polar calotte, the equatorial graduated in degrees and hours, the meridian of Paris graduated in degrees, the ecliptic graduated in twelve times 0-30° with sigils, the oceans showing ocean currents, steamship routs and submarine telegraph cables, the continents with Europe outlined in red, Asia in yellow, Australasia in orange and the Americas in green, showing towns, cities, rivers, mountains, railways and telegraph lines (areas of discolouration and minor scratches throughout), with a shaped gilt-painted brass finial, raised on a parcel-gilt brass cap to the South Pole, atop the shoulders of a bronze figure of Atlas, with gilt-painted oak-leaf loin cloth, standing on a short fluted and tapering column to a drum base with repeated leaf motif around the edge
The globe: 30.5cm. diam.; the figure: 97.5cm. 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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