The globe from the 16th century depicting the world before the discovery of Australia is one of the oldest globes in the world.
This globe has a diameter of about 9 cm, is nearly 500 years old, and illustrates the world prior to the discovery of Australia.
Jim Spencer poses next to the 16th-century globe.
Jim Spencer, head of the Auction Library at Hansons, stated that the globe is valued between $26,443 and $39,650.
According to Jim Spencer, ancient people produced globes in the form of engravings or woodcuts and printed them on paper. They then affixed these prints onto a globe, usually made of wood, to create the final product.
The globe features strange sea monsters and a world as it was before the discovery of Australia. The Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon discovered Australia in 1606.
This country only appears on the globe amidst an obscure southern land called Terra Incognita, “the unknown land.” Other places, such as Japan, are referred to as “Sipannge” while islands near Java are labeled as “Gryforum Insule,” and America is noted as “Devicta ann 1530.”
Close-up of the 500-year-old globe depicting the world before the discovery of Australia.
Exploration thrived in the 1500s. Francis Drake became the first Englishman to sail around the world, completing his journey from 1577 to 1580.
Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, and Portuguese traders António da Mota and Francisco Zeimoto reached Japan in 1543. This was an era of maritime exploration, naval battles, and the early Caribbean pirates.
Experts believe that the famous French physicist and geographer Francois Demongenet created this globe. Francois Demongenet is renowned for producing a globe that served as a model for engravers to create other smaller globes in his time.
The globe was originally part of the collection of Edward Croft-Murray, who held prints and drawings at the British Museum.
No one knows how Edward Croft-Murray acquired the globe, but he carefully preserved it for a long time before it was purchased by an anonymous buyer.
According to Spencer, the oldest globe in the world is the Erdapfel from 1492, followed by the Ostrich Egg Globe from 1504, which was sold at the London Map Fair in 2012.
Jim Spencer stated: “This item is older than other globes in many major museums like the British Library and the British Museum.”
