The Southern Hemisphere of the Celestial Globe, 1515 (probably printed 17th century)

expand_more

Woodcutexpand_more

Gift of Richard H. Zinser, 1959expand_more  P.12,788

Not on Viewexpand_more

The southern sky was largely uncharted until the 16th and 17th centuries when Italian and Dutch explorers began sailing the southern seas. This woodcut, published on the eve of this age of exploration, records the basic state of knowledge in 1515, which was rather spare. Uncharted skies presented great challenges to navigators, since they needed accurate star maps to determine their longitude at sea. Exploration prompted a great push on the part of sailors, merchants, and publishers, particularly in Holland, to map the unknown skies.

Details
Title
The Southern Hemisphere of the Celestial Globe
Artist Life
1471–1528
Role
Artist
Accession Number
P.12,788
Provenance
J.D. Bohm (Lugt 271), Vienna (d. 1865); Field Marshall Franz Ritter von Hauslab (L. 1247), Vienna (d.1883). Richard H. Zinser, Forest Hills, New York (until 1959, given to Mia)
Catalogue Raisonne
B.152; M.259 iii/iv
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.