{"id":1833349,"date":"2024-08-01T14:55:50","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T18:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1833349"},"modified":"2024-08-01T14:55:51","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T18:55:51","slug":"the-useless-grandeur-of-coronellis-great-globes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/08\/the-useless-grandeur-of-coronellis-great-globes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Useless Grandeur of Coronelli&#8217;s Great Globes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Les globes de Coronelli\" width=\"760\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WgS0sq-ICWE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Constructed in the 1680s for Louis XIV, and measuring nearly four metres in diameter and weighing a couple of tons apiece, Vincenzo Coronelli\u2019s great globes \u201care a simply amazing celestial and terrestrial pair,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mappingasprocess.net\/blog\/2024\/7\/21\/the-uselessness-of-coronellis-great-globes-of-168183\">writes Matthew Edney<\/a>, who saw them at the Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France in 2019. But, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mappingasprocess.net\/blog\/2024\/7\/21\/the-uselessness-of-coronellis-great-globes-of-168183\">he goes on to say<\/a>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>[T]he globes were effectively useless. Their imposing grandeur made them completely the wrong size to be used effectively. Smaller globes\u2014made with diameters between 0.075\u20131.7m (3\u201367\u2033)\u2014could be easily turned to show specific parts of their convex surface. Or, people could enter within much larger globes, called georamas, turning themselves around as necessary to see all parts of the earth on the concave interior surface. Coronelli\u2019s globes were far too large for the former, and far too small for the latter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This unavoidable reality inverted the usual physical relationship between viewers and globes, undermining the viewer\u2019s usual sense of intellectual domination and converting the globe-viewing experience to one of awe and amazement. As a result, no-one really knew quite what to do with them[.]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Their difficult size and limited utility is why they\u2019ve spent most of their 340-year existence hidden from view, though they\u2019ve been on display since 2005 at the <abbr title=\"Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France\" lang=\"fr\">BNF<\/abbr>\u2019s Fran\u00e7ois-Mitterrand site (see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WgS0sq-ICWE\">the above <abbr title=\"Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France\" lang=\"fr\">BNF<\/abbr> video<\/a>, in French).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Constructed in the 1680s for Louis XIV, and measuring nearly four metres in diameter and weighing a couple of tons apiece, Vincenzo Coronelli\u2019s great globes \u201care a simply amazing celestial and terrestrial pair,\u201d writes Matthew&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/08\/the-useless-grandeur-of-coronellis-great-globes\/\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1290,742,26],"class_list":["post-1833349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","hentry","category-antique-maps","tag-bnf","tag-coronelli","tag-globes","post_format-post-format-link"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1836492,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/02\/paranneaux-globes\/","url_meta":{"origin":1833349,"position":0},"title":"Paranneaux Globes","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"11 February 2025","format":"link","excerpt":"Paranneaux Globes For the past decade, Reynold Mackey of Paranneaux Globes has been sculpting physiographic globes from materials like wood and bronze. There\u2019s not a whole lot of information on his website, a bit more on the Instagram account, but a lot of detail about his methods emerges in his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/paranneaux.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/paranneaux.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/paranneaux.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/paranneaux.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/paranneaux.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/paranneaux.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5768,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2014\/02\/a-book-about-globes\/","url_meta":{"origin":1833349,"position":1},"title":"A Book About Globes","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"4 February 2014","format":"link","excerpt":"Sylvia Sumira's forthcoming book on globes\u2014titled Globes: 400 Years of Exploration, Navigation and Power in its U.S. edition and The Art and History of Globes in its British edition\u2014is a history of globemaking during its peak: \"Showcasing the impressive collection of globes held by the British Library, Sumira traces the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antique Maps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1788550,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/03\/antique-globes-virtual-and-real\/","url_meta":{"origin":1833349,"position":2},"title":"Antique Globes, Virtual and Real","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"20 March 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"The British Library is digitizing its collection of globes, with the first seven virtual globes scheduled to be released online next week. The digital globes will be available to view on the British Library website\u2014www.bl.uk\/collection-items\u2014from 26 March, via a viewing platform which includes an augmented reality function (available on phone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antique Maps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"British Library digital globes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bl-digital-globes-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bl-digital-globes-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bl-digital-globes-1024x683.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bl-digital-globes-1024x683.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5733,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/11\/meridian-old-maps-virtual-globes\/","url_meta":{"origin":1833349,"position":3},"title":"Meridian: Old Maps, Virtual Globes","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"7 November 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"Meridian, an \"experiment\" from the DX Lab at the State Library of New South Wales, overlays old maps onto virtual, 3D interactive globes. Two globes have been created to date\u2014one based on\u00a0the 1706\u00a0Miranda world map\u00a0(previously), the other on a set of Coronelli globe gores from 1693\u2014with more in the works.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antique Maps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/dxlab-meridian-globe-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/dxlab-meridian-globe-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/dxlab-meridian-globe-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/dxlab-meridian-globe-1024x576.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":294,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/01\/3d-printed-planetary-globes\/","url_meta":{"origin":1833349,"position":4},"title":"3D Printed Planetary Globes","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"14 January 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"On Shapeways, a site where users can upload and sell 3D-printed items,\u00a0George Ioannidis\u00a0is selling globes of\u00a0the planets and moons of our solar system. There are individual globes, globes that take into account\u00a0moons' irregular topography (e.g. Phobos and Diemos, Iapetus), all in different sizes (none of which are very big: 50\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"3d-printed-planets","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3d-printed-planets.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3d-printed-planets.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/3d-printed-planets.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1785584,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2018\/05\/mercator-globes-at-the-university-of-lausanne\/","url_meta":{"origin":1833349,"position":5},"title":"Mercator Globes at the University of Lausanne","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"16 May 2018","format":"link","excerpt":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CrJnQ3mGvO0 The University of Lausanne has come across a pair of globes\u2014one celestial, one terrestrial\u2014made by Mercator in the 16th century. Mercator apparently had a reputation as a globemaker, and a number of his globes are still in existence today. But \"not particularly rare\" is not the same as \"not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antique Maps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/CrJnQ3mGvO0\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1833349"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1833357,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833349\/revisions\/1833357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1833349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1833349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1833349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}