Lot 144
144
A rare late 18th-Century English 3-inch diameter pocket globe,
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
A rare late 18th-Century English 3-inch diameter pocket globe,

Details
A rare late 18th-Century English 3-inch diameter pocket globe,
A NEW Terrestrial GLOBE by J. Newton 1783 made up of twelve hand-coloured engraved gores, the equatorial and anti-meridian graduated in degrees, the ecliptic graduated but unnumbered, with sigils for the houses of the Zodiac, the prime meridian running through Greenwich, the equinox at 15°W, the oceans showing ocean currents, trade winds and the tracks of Cook and Anson, the Pacific labelled THE GREAT SOUTH SEA, PACIFICK SEA appearing off Peru, ETHEOPIAN SEA appearing beneath the bulge of Africa, no land shown at the South Pole, the continents with nation states outlined in green, red and brown and showing cities, rivers and mountains, Australia labelled NEW HOLLAND and showed joined to Dimens Land, Dampier's Straits shown, two small stretches of coastline north of (misshapen) Japan for Land of Jesso, China showing the Great Wall, north-eastern Asia labelled Parts Unknown, Africa showing place names such as BILEDULGERID, Zaara or the Desart, NEGRO LAND and CAFFERS, northern South America labelled TERRA FIRMA, Canada labelled Unknown Parts with no northern coastline (rather darkened, some old repairs), in a spherical wooden fishskin-covered case, the interior laid with two sets of twelve celestial half-gores, unvarnished, laid to the celestial poles, with graduated equatorial, ecliptic and colures, the pictorial constellations lacking LaCaille's fourteen constellations of 1752, with stars to various orders of magnitude, the edges of the case in red, with two brass hooks and eyes
Literature
CLIFTON, G., Directory of British Scientific Instrument Makers: 1550-1851 (London, 1995)
DEKKER, E. and van der KROGT, P., Globes of the Western World (London, 1993)
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

One of the most important names in English globe manufacturing, the Newton family business was established by John Newton (1759-1844) in 1783. At the age of 15, John Newton was apprenticed to Thomas Bateman and published the family's first globe in partnership with map engraver William Palmer. This was the pocket globe of 2¾in. diameter, of which an example is here offered, reissued and updated from Nathaniel Hill's copper plates of 1754. The firm operated originally from the "Globe & Sun", 128 Chancery Lane (Hill's old address), moving to 97 Chancery Lane in 1803, before settling at 66 Chancery Lane in 1817.
Subsequently, Newton went into partnership with various members of the family; the firm was known as Newton & Son after 1818, and variously J. & W. Newton or, during the 1830's, Newton, Son & Berry. The instrument firm of Newton & Co., operating from 1851 onwards from 3 Fleet Street, was the business of William Edward (John's grandson) and Frederick (grandson of John's younger brother Daniel). The Newtons, and their rival firm the Cary brothers, were pre-eminent makers of globes in late Georgian England; perhaps their greatest triumph was the Great Exhibition of 1851, where aside from the globes they exhibited from 1 to 25in. diameter, they were awarded a prize medal for a manuscript terrestrial globe of six feet diameter.

More from SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS AND ENGINEERING WORKS OR ART

View All
View All