Pair of 2-inch Terrestrial and Celestial Masonic Globes on Columns
British: Late 19th Century
Oak columnar stands with bronze capitals
19.5 inches high
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.
Pair of Masonic Globes on Columns
British: Late 19th Century
British: Late 19th Century
This item is sold. It has been placed here in our online archives as a service for researchers and collectors.
- Please inquire as to the availability of similar items currently in stock, or use the navigation bar above to browse our site for currently available items.
- Find guidelines for the use of images from georgeglazer.com.
- To see more archived items, view our directory.
- Find information about selling your art and antiques.
Hand-painted pair of globes originally made for a Masonic lodge, one terrestrial, one celestial, each in bronze half meridian on a bronze capital (one Corinthian, the other Ionic or Doric), supported by a neoclassical fluted oak column ending in a stepped rectangular plinth. Terrestrial globe with continents shaded in pink, on blue ground, with lines of latitude and longitude. Celestial with white painted stars and crescent moon on blue night sky background.
A pair of globes atop columns are a central part of the iconography of the Masons and were used to decorate their lodges. The columns hearken back to the twin columns which are said to have been placed at the entrance of King Solomon's temple, symbolically linking the Masonic Temple with Solomon's. Generally speaking, the celestial globe is symbolic of the spiritual part of human nature, and the terrestrial globe symbolic of the material side. A lodge frequently would have a full sized pair, 6-foot columns with 9- or 12-inch diameter globes. It is common for one of the columns to have a simple Ionic or Doric capital and the other to the pair to have a developed Corninthian capital. Such globes, either in the miniature size or the full size, were sometimes simply painted, as here, just showing continents on the world globe and the star motif on the celestial globe. Sometimes printed globe gores were used. For the miniature, generally one finds globes by George Philip and successor to C. Smith and Sons. For large versions, often a W. & A.K. Johnston pair of terrestrial and celestial were mounted on the large columns.
Reference:
Sinatra, Michael P. "Two Great Columns." Scottish Rite Journal. June 2001. http://www.srmason-sj.org/council/journal/jun01/sinatra.html (17 October 2002).