De L'Isle globes

The Maritime Museum Piran also holds and exhibits two globes, the only ones of this kind in the Republic of Slovenia. They are dated to the second half of the 18th century. On both terrestrial and celestial globes, the name of the famous French astronomer Guillaume De L'Isle is inscribed. This globe and map maker brought out a general map of the world in 1700, as well as celestial and terrestrial globes on which he radically corrected the image of the world.

Both globes are fairly small, with the rotating wooden spheres measuring 30 cm in diameter. Individual geographical and celestial maps are glued to the wooden spheres, which fit each other exactly. There are wooden octagonal perimeters around the sphere, with wooden semicircles - meridians - running across them. The spheres are attached to a wooden cross-shaped wooden base with five silver-plated legs.

Both globes have been restored. The wooden parts were taken care of by Ilonka Hajnal at the Maritime Museum "Sergej Mašera" in Piran, while the very poorly preserved paper parts were given all the necessary attention in the restoration workshop of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia in 1984–1987.

References: 

Terčon Nadja, Bonin Flavio. Na poti v morsko prostranstvo : zemljepisne in pomorske karte v Pomorskem muzeju "Sergej Mašera" v Piranu = Alla scoperta di terre inesplorate : carte geografiche e nautiche nel Museo del mare "Sergej Mašera" di Pirano. Piran: Pomorski muzej "Sergej Mašera" = Pirano: Museo del mare "Sergej Mašera" 1999, 19-21.

Nadja Terčon