The Ostrich Egg Globe is a hollow terrestrial globe made from the conjoined lower halves of two

ostrich egg The egg of the ostrich (genus ''Struthio'') is the largest of any living bird. The shell has a long history of use by humans as a container and for decorative artwork. The eggs are not commonly eaten. Biology The female common ostrich lays her f ...

s. The owner of the globe claims that it was made in the early 16th century and is the first globe to depict the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

(with North America only shown as small islands). The carvings on the globe are similar to those on the

Hunt–Lenox Globe The Hunt–Lenox Globe or Lenox Globe, dating from about 1510, is the third-oldest known terrestrial globe, after the Erdapfel of Martin Behaim dating from 1492 and its identical sibling and apparent prototype, the Ostrich Egg Globe, dating from ...

, a red copper

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

Provenance

The globe was offered for sale in 2012 at the London Map Fair held at the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. Its similarity to the Lenox Globe was confirmed by the former president of the Coronelli Society, Professor Rudolf Schmidt, and confirmed by art expert Archduke Dr.

Géza von Habsburg Géza Ladislaus Euseb Gerhard Rafael Albert Maria von Habsburg (born 14 November 1940) is a Fabergé expert who has published books and articles on the jewellers Peter Carl Fabergé and Victor Mayer. He is the curator of several major internati ...

in 2013. The owner of the globe, Stefaan Missinne, has written a book that argues that the globe was made by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

, citing writings by Leonardo indicating a similar approach to making globe gores. Cartographer Wouter Bracke states that Missine's book should be considered "a report on the author's research into the globe and ota final scientific and academic publication", and that

Cambridge Scholars Publishing Cambridge Scholars Publishing (CSP) is an academic book publisher based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is not affiliated with the University of Cambridge or Cambridge University Press. The company publishes in health science, life scienc ...

's lack of

editorial board The editorial board is a group of experts, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take. Mass media At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the editorial page editor, a ...

"clearly failed to guide the author in the preparation of his publication". Ultimately, Bracke states that more research is needed to conclude the question of the globe's age and provenance.

References

Footnotes Citations

Provenance

See also

References

Further reading