Armillary sphere. Case of wood, turned, domed and painted black with gilt flower decoration in Chinese style. Horizon ring on rim of lower half of case. Points of compass, months and names of zodiac signs painted on pape and glued onto rim. Cardboard armillary sphere slots into this rim. Rings covered with yellow paper and with scales in black ink. Outside rims of rings painted red. Globe in centre with paper gores on a spike mounting.
The primary sphere consists of eight cardboard rings. In the centre there are two movable arcs of brass connected to an axis fixed at the North ecliptic pole of the primary sphere. These arcs represent the orbs of the Sun and the Moon. The larger arc carries a disc with the symbol of the Sun, the smaller one a disc with the symbol of the Moon. Within the arcs, there is a small terrestrial globe. The equator and the tropics of the terrestrial sphere are labelled 'Ligne Equinoctiale', 'Tropique du Cancer' and 'du Capricorne'; the polar circles are drawn but not labelled. The outlines of the continents are drawn, California is still an island (!) and the representation of Australia shows only the Dutch discoveries up to 1644. Two oceans are labelled. This item forms a pair with the terrestrial hand globe, Fortin GLB0045. For full details about the cartography and construction of this armillary sphere please refer to the related publication, Globes at Greenwich.