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First spheres

The oldest terrestrial sphere arrived to us is the sphere of Martin Behaim, carried out in Nuremberg in 1492. America and Australia are not reproduced logically on this sphere 51 cm in diameter.

The printer Martin Waldseemüller adapts in 1507 printing works to the needs for the manufacturers of spheres by creating the spindles. Up to that point, the spheres were always painted and single. Moreover, the charts of Waldseemüller published in Saint-Dié were the first to carry the inscription “America”.

The German Johannes Schöner publishes in 1515 a chart of the sphere on twelve spindles with a handbook of directions for use to assemble his terrestrial sphere 27 cm in diameter. The request was such as the manufacturers of spheres had evil required. In spite of the big number of spheres marketed at this period, especially in the Netherlands, there does not remain any specimen about it today. The oldest printed terrestrial spheres arrived to us are the productions of Dutch Gemma Frisius (about 1536). Gerardus Mercator worked in particular with the engraving of the spheres in 1536 and 1537. This last will be put then on its account by in particular producing a sphere 41 cm in diameter.

Earths of the XVIIe century

At the beginning of the XVIIe century, Amsterdam is essential like the capital of the spheres. Jodocus Hondius operates there in particular. There does not remain any sphere signed Hondius today. Only remains nowadays a copy of a sphere of 21 cm of the Dutch Master carried out in 1615 by the Giuseppe Italian of Rossi starting from a model going back to 1601. Among the other manufacturers amsterdamois, also let us quote Willem Blaeu, which carried out spheres 68 cm in diameter in 1616. They bulkiest ever were then built.

The school of Amsterdam essaime in Europe at the time of the second part of the XVIIe century. In England, it is Joseph Moxon, formed in Amsterdam at Blaeuw, which produces in the middle of the century of the spheres of five dimensions. In Germany, let us quote Georg Christoph Eimmart (1638-1705).

In fact however Italy shelters the most prestigious manufacturer of spheres of the century: Vincenzo Coronelli . Coronelli produces the most spectacular spheres of the history: the Earths of Marly. Offered to Louis XIV in 1683, this pair of spheres terrestrial and celestial measure 3,87 meters in diameter without furniture. By adding this last, the unit culminates with eight meters height for nearly 5 meters in diameter. The Earths of Marly, sometimes also named Earths of Coronelli, are not the only products by the Italian cartographer. One will thus quote for the example the terrestrial sphere 108 cm in diameter decorating the Bibliothèque Holy-Genevieve in Paris. There exist several specimens of this type of spheres, called the “110 of Coronelli”.

Spheres of the XVIIIe century

As of the very first years of the XVIIIe century, the English market of the spheres is divided into two branches: spheres of pocket and spheres traditional. Among the most famous manufacturers of spheres of pocket, let us quote Charles Price, who operate at the beginning of the century, and Nathaniel Hill, credit of 1746 to 1768. The latest thing of the miniature spheres culminates however between the end of the XVIIIe century and the XIXe century.

The Netherlands partly find their dynamism at the beginning of the century under the impulse of Gerald and Leonard Valk who produce between 1701 and 1726 seven pairs of terrestrial and celestial spheres of 7,75 cm to 62 cm in diameter.

Germany produces an astonishing sphere and which will make date: the dumb sphere. Signed by Franz Ludwig Güssefeld, this sphere 10,3 cm in diameter does not comprise any legend. It had a teaching use, in particular to question the pupils.

In France, Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726), former student of Jean-Dominique Cassini, signed a terrestrial sphere 31 cm in diameter about 1700. Didier Robert de Vaugondy (1723-1786) carries out its first terrestrial sphere in 1745. It receives in 1751 a royal order bound for the marine with spheres of 45,5 cm. These spheres knew several republications (1764 and 1773). Concerning the updates related to the new discoveries, the manufacturers of spheres ensure since the origin a form of after-sales service by providing to their customers elements of charts to be stuck on the sphere.

Spheres of the XIXe century at our days

The English always preserve a solid school of manufacturers of spheres. The company Newton, Its & Berry produce thus of 1831 to 1841 of the spheres of pocket while James Wyld (1812-1887) created sensation at the time of the World Fair of London in 1851 by building a single sphere 12 meters in diameter. The visitors could even penetrate inside the giant sphere. It is a question obviously of an advertizing operation to present the products of the Wyld house.

On the other side of the channel, the French Charles François Delamarche (1740-1817) dominates the market, in particular with his spheres 32,5 cm in diameter. Delamarche had bought the data base of Robert de Vaugondy and exploited this documentation. It was the starting point of a dynasty of manufacturers of spheres of three generations.

Among the manufacturers of French spheres of the beginning of the XXe century, let us quote Girard & Barrère and J. Forest. This last in particular provided the French schools but also proposed with its catalog a sphere lighter. This type of sphere imagination was also declined in versions sphere-bar for example.

Manufacturers of spheres

The manufacturers of spheres are of two types: the cartographers who publish their work, and of the editors who exploit sometimes old work updated more or less well. The manufacture of spheres gave place to the installation of family dynasties on several generations. One will quote Hondius, Blaeuw or Delamarche in particular.

Remarkable Earths

Earths of Coronelli (1683, 387 cm diameter without furniture)

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