The Lausanne globes, whose authentication and restoration are described in the Story section of this website, were found in fairly satisfactory condition in the early 21st century. Each comprises a rotating sphere on a wooden stand made up of a horizon ring covered with printed information, along with four balusters and a circular base. The spheres have a diameter of 42 cm and together with their stand measure roughly 55 x 55 cm.
The spheres rotate on an axis running through the two poles. The ends of this axis are set into a copper meridian circle, itself held perpendicular in the horizon ring by notches and resting on a small support at the centre of the circular base.
Mercator globes appeared in a very precise historical context marked, on the one hand, by great discoveries and, on the other, by the development of humanist science. The world and peoples’ knowledge of it were expanding rapidly.
Mercator’s maps and globes emerged in the 16th century, at a time when innovations in Europe were driving strong momentum and a swirl of new questions […]
Human awareness of time and space arose in the distant past. The stars, serving as both clock and calendar, gradually made it possible to establish points of reference […]
The oldest surviving terrestrial globe was produced by Martin Behaim. Dating from 1492, it reflects the state of geological knowledge just before the first expedition of Christopher Columbus […]
Mercator became a producer of scientific instruments, as well as a draughtsman, engraver and illuminator. He used these skills to create maps and globes […]
It is not known how many globes Gerardus Mercator produced during his lifetime or how many continued to be made after his death. At present fewer than 30 pairs are catalogued […]
Thanks to the numerous analyses that were performed to authenticate and restore the globes, it is possible to describe them very precisely and provide details of the techniques that were used to produce them.
Each sphere is built of two hemispheres comprising multiple thin layers made of alternating materials. These inside layers are composed of cellulosic fibres […]
This page presents the composition of the terrestrial globe in detail, from the inside towards the outside, thanks to stratigraphic cross-sections and an analysis of the constituent materials […]
To print the terrestrial globe in 1541, Mercator used copper plates for the first time. He would use copper again ten years later to make his celestial globe […]
