Description
As typical for Lane 1809 pocket globes, this example is made of 12 hand-colored engraved gores, colored in tones of pink, green, red, blue, and yellow, with thick outlines. Oceans are colored blue-green and show the routes of the explorers Admiral Anson and Captain Cook. The Antarctic is labeled “Frozen Ocean.” Australia is called New Holland. California is shown as a peninsula. The Great Wall of China (“Chinese Wall”) is indicated. Oceans are labeled: the Pacific as “Pacific Ocean and Great South Sea”; the Atlantic as the “Western or Atlantic Ocean” and the “Ethiopic Ocean”; the Indian Ocean as the “Eastern Ocean.” The Antarctic and Arctic are each labeled “Frozen Ocean.” The ecliptic is graduated in days and showing the symbols of the houses of the zodiac, and the prime meridian is marked Meridian of London.
The Lane firm, founded by Nicolas Lane (fl. 1775-1783), was a major producer of pocket globes. The first edition of the terrestrial globe offered here was issued by Lane in 1776. Dekker posits that at that time Lane might have obtained the copper plates for the celestial gores from the Cushee firm of globe makers when it was dissolved around 1775. Various updated pocket globes were produced under the Lane name by his successors during the first half of the 19th century. They were often sold by globe sellers, stationers, opticians and scientific instrument dealers, sometimes with their own name printed in the cartouche or pasted as a label over Lane’s cartouche. Such dealers include Jacob and Halse, whose name appears on the cartouche of this globe. Jacob and Halse was a firm that apparently specialized in selling scientific instruments; for example, its name also appears on an extant set of fine precision drafting tools.
For more information about Lane and sellers of Lane globes, see our Guide to Globe Makers.
Circular Cartouche with beaded edge: JACOB/AND/HALSE/LONDON/1809
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall light toning, wear, handling. Original varnish fairly thick causing occasional blurring of printing underneath and with some minor chips and abrasions, also some crazing. Globe now mounted on an associated vintage wrought iron stand (removable). Fishskin case with interior celestial gores not present.
References:
Dekker, Elly, et al. Globes at Greenwich: A Catalogue of the Globes and Armillary Spheres in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. London: Oxford University Press and the National Maritime Museum, 1999. pp. 55, 128-129, 131, 393-394.
Dekker, Elly. “Miniature and Pocket Globes: The Gentleman’s Toy.” in Lamb, Tom and Collins, Jeremy. The World in Your Hands: An Exhibition of Globes and Planetaria. London: Christie’s, 1994. pp. 66, 76.
