Description
This model of the Bale & Woodward miniature celestial globe has been featured in several prominent private and institutional collections, underscoring its significance as a representative example of mid-19th-century English globemaking. Notably, it is recorded in the Rudolf Schmidt Collection, one of the most comprehensive private collections of globes and scientific instruments, which has served as a benchmark for scholarly research on European globes. Schmidt’s model is cataloged in Heide Wohlschlager’s The Rudolf Schmidt Globe Collection, a special edition publication compiled on the occasion of Rudolf Schmidt’s 100th birthday in collaboration with the International Coronelli Society for the Study of Globes. As part of the Rudolf Schmidt Collection, this Bale & Woodward model has been included in exhibition catalogues from Vienna (1977), Budapest (1989), London (1994), and Leiden (1995), reflecting its continued relevance in the history of scientific instruments. Additionally, Christie’s exhibition catalog, The World in Your Hands (1994) (lot 5.22) documents this model, further affirming its presence in the global marketplace for historical globes.
Bale & Woodward were active as publishers and manufacturers of terrestrial and celestial globes in London during the mid-19th century, flourishing between the 1840s and early 1850s. While detailed personal histories of the individuals behind the firm rare largely unknown, the company’s surviving works offer valuable insight into their role within the broader tradition of British scientific instrument making. The firm is best known for producing paired terrestrial and celestial models in three standard sizes: 3 inches, 5 inches, and 7 inches in diameter. The terrestrial globes are typically signed by George Woodward, while the celestial globes bear the joint signature Bale & Woodward. This division of attribution suggests a collaborative business arrangement where Woodward was likely responsible for the terrestrial cartography and production, while “Bale” may have overseen celestial publications and perhaps commercial distribution. Notable features of their globes include brass half-meridian rings without degree markings, turned wood stands, and map content labelled in Latin. The firm’s celestial globes depict the traditional 48 Ptolemaic constellations, along with select non-Ptolemaic and southern constellations, reflecting contemporary astronomical knowledge. Bale & Woodward commonly made globes practical in size, marketed as educational tools and decorative scientific objects. The Greenwich National Maritime Museum has in its collection, several unmounted sheets celestial and other globe gores attributed to Bale & Woodward.
Cartouche: BALE &/ WOODWARD’S/ CELESTIAL/ GLOBE
Condition: Generally very good, with only light toning, wear, handling.
References:
“Celestial globe gores.” National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-19943 (31 October 2025).
Lamb, Tom and Collins, Jeremy. The World in Your Hands: An Exhibition of Globes and Planetaria. London: Christie’s, 1994. 5.22.
Wohlschlager, Heide. “Bale & Woodward.” The Rudolf Schmidt Globe Collection. Vienna: International Coronelli Society for the Society of Globes, 2024. p. 257.
