[The Nancy Globe]

19th century print of a 16th century French globe.

The Lorraine Museum of Nancy possesses a decorative gilt globe, about six inches in diameter, that is thought to have been created between 1530 and 1540. Resting on the shoulders of a statue of atlas, the Nancy Globe reflects a world in the midst of the tremendous change brought by on by Columbus’ discovery of the New World. Sea monsters, sailing ships, terra incognita and the allure of the Northwest passage all harken to the early days of the Golden Age of Exploration.

However, even in the 19th century, precious artifacts like the Nancy Globe were studied little in France. In 1835, Minister of the Interior François Guizot issued a circular to the scientific and literary societies of various French departments urging them to preserve and research otherwise neglected objects of historical value. The Royal Society of Arts, Science and Literature in Nancy commissioned F. Forfillier to create this accurate reproduction for publication in the organizations annual memoires in 1836.

For more information on the Nancy Globe, check out the paper by Jim Siebold of My Old Maps – http://www.myoldmaps.com/renaissance-maps-1490-1800/363-the-nancy-globe/363-nancy-globe.pdf