The stands are made from a number of pieces of wood, all oak. These consist of four equidistant balusters, the upper ends of which are attached to the horizon ring, and their lower ends to four rectangular feet 11.5 cm long, 6.5 cm wide and 2.3 cm high. The pieces are held in place by tenons, mortises and dowels.

The round wooden base, 42.5 cm in diameter and 3 cm thick, sits inside the four balusters and is glued to the four rectangular feet. This circular base, the rim of which is moulded, is made of three planks in the case of the celestial globe and four for the terrestrial one. A small circular support 2.8 cm in diameter and 1.6 cm high sits on the centre of the circular base and is notched to hold up the copper meridian. Several layers of paper serve as a joint between this small support and the main one underneath.

A small compass with an hour dial in Roman numerals is set into the circular base along the rim under the copper meridian. This compass is square shaped in the case of the terrestrial globe and octagonal in the case of the celestial one.

The surfaces de the circular base and the balusters bear painted illustrations. The design can no longer be identified but it could be a red and green false-marble type of decoration. A light layer, probably applied originally, served as a base coat. The feet and the moulded edges of the horizon ring and the circular base are painted black.

X-ray of the stand of the terrestrial globe (image reconstructed from four plates). The light preparatory layer was laid irregularly, perhaps originally, and is distinguishable with X-rays (it may contain lead white). The growth rings of the wooden stand can also be seen clearly. Metal screws (recent, two in each foot) appear white. (Ill. 22, SIK|ISEA report)

The inner side of the celestial globe reveals an earlier restoration.

Celestial globe, inner side of the stand. The positions of the feet are marked with pink chalk. The stand was taken apart and glued back together during an earlier restoration. The wooden dowel (or trunnion) in the left-hand image was replaced with a new one (Ill. 23 & 24, SIK|ISEA report)

The stands’ undersides bear various labels:

Terrestrial globeCelestial globe

Glued label

History of Science Museum, item number
with the hand-written reference Lausanne.

Glued label

History of Science Museum, item number 54
with the hand-written reference Observatory

Etiquette en plastique vert

VD

Hand-written reference

2 Coeli

L’inscription a été tracée au pinceau, à l’encre ou à la peinture noire. Le mot latin “coelus” ou “caelus”, ici au génitif, signifie le “ciel”. Cette inscription permettait peut-être de distinguer ce socle de celui du globe terrestre.