Description
The inner side of zodiac band has an applied paper label “Dono Semigratuito del Secolo,” loosely translated meaning “partly-free gift of Il Secolo.” Il Secolo was an Italian newspapernpublished in Milan between 1866 and 1927. “Semigratuito” means that the globe was available at a reduced price from the newspaper. This indicates that this sphere was a promotional item dating to this period. Its style and materials of manufacture suggest it was made around the turn of the century.
In the 19th century, armillary spheres were popular astronomical demonstration devices, though the Copernican theory, in which the planets were understood to rotate around the sun, had by then replaced the Ptolemaic idea that the earth was the center of the universe. For more general information about armillaries see our Globe Glossary.
Reference:
Molinengo, Alessandro. E-mail correspondence to George Glazer Gallery. 17 September 2009.
