Leonardo da Vinci was the first to create a globe depicting the Americas in 1504 from an ostrich egg.
Experts were unaware that the globe was a work of Da Vinci when it was discovered on June 16, 2012, at a map fair in London organized by the Royal Geographical Society. A Dutch businessman attempted to sell the globe as a 19th-century antique. He later claimed that he had purchased the globe the same day from a colleague. Consequently, the provenance of the item remains a mystery.
Da Vinci’s globe next to other ostrich eggs. (Photo: National Geographic)
The globe is made from two halves of an ostrich egg joined together. A counterweight is placed inside the lower half to keep the globe upright. The globe has a diameter of 11.2 cm and weighs only 134 grams. The map on the surface of the object depicts ships, volcanoes, sailors, a sea monster, ocean waves, sharp mountains, rivers, and many other elements along with place names.
Researcher Stefaan Missinne, who was fortunate enough to purchase the globe, concluded that it is a work of Da Vinci based on the fact that the famous Renaissance artist sketched a globe in 1503 in his notebook, the Codex Arundel.
According to researchers, both the details on the map and the carving style (created by a left-handed person) indicate that Da Vinci is the author. The map on the globe uses reversed perspective, and Da Vinci was the first to provide an example of this drawing style. Additionally, on page 331 of the Codex Atlanticus from 1504, Da Vinci wrote: el mío mappamondo che ha Giovanni Benci (my globe that has Giovanni Benci), proving that he created a globe. Today, this is not only the oldest carved globe in the world but also the oldest globe depicting the Americas.
The research community believes that the ostrich egg globe served as a model for Da Vinci to create the Hunt-Lenox Globe, which also originated in 1504. This bronze globe has a diameter of 11.2 cm and a circumference of 34.5 cm and is currently housed at the New York Public Library.
