Terrestrial table globe

Terrestrial table globe. Geographical details on the sphere show marks and labels of the antipodes of Graz. The west coast of North America is labelled, and California is peninsula. 'Nova Guinea' is depicted as a small island. East of it there is another one, which is labelled 'Nova Brit..'. Next to this island there is a very large one with the label 'Nova magna Guinea seu Piccinacoli'. Below this, there is a land indicated by its northern boundary; it is labelled 'Terra Carpentaria'. Part of the border of a hypothetical southern continent is indicated and labelled 'TERRA AUSTRALIS INCOGNITA MAGELLANICA'. This is followed by a note.

Joseph II was made King of the Romans in 1764, and this globe may have been made for the occasion by monks of a monastery. The mapping of the globe reflects the cartographical ideas of approximately 1750, when California was depicted as a peninsula. The island 'Nova Brit..' was discovered by Dampier in 1700. Australia and New Zealand are lacking and there is only an unusual representation of part of the northern coast of Australia, with the label 'Terra Carpentaria'. For full details about the cartography and construction of this globe please refer to the related publication.

Object Details

ID: GLB0144
Collection: Astronomical and navigational instruments; Charts and maps
Type: Table globe
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown
Date made: 1764
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Caird Collection
Measurements: Overall: 562 x 534 mm; Diameter of sphere: 410 mm