The forerunners – Les Globes de Mercator de l'UNIL

Portraying the Earth and the Heavens as separate objects reflected a new relationship in which the Earth was no longer in a subordinate position but rather constituted a body in itself which could be thought about independently. These globes moreover made it possible to view the entire Earth and not just the oecumene.Patrick Gautier Dalché

: Martin Behaim (1459-1507)

: Martin Waldseemüller (1470-1520)

: Johannes Schöner (1477-1547)

: Gemma Frisius (1508-1555)

While the Mercator globes should be considered as pioneering productions and as a model for series manufacturing until the commercial use of lithography in the mid-19th century, they were preceded by other works.

Find out more

Sumira, S. (2014) Globes : 400 Years of exploration, navigation, and power, Chicago : University of Chicago Press.
Gautier Dalché, P. (2010) « Avant Behaim : les globes terrestres au XV^e siècle », in : Médiévales, N° 58, Humanisme et découvertes géographiques, pp. 43-61.