Hunt-Lenox Globe
Encyclopedia
The Hunt-Lenox Globe or Lenox Globe, dating from ca. 1510, is the second or third oldest known terrestrial globe
, after the Erdapfel
of 1492. It bears a striking resemblance to the Globus Jagellonicus
, also tentatively dated to 1510. It is housed by the Rare Book Division of the New York Public Library.
.") The phrase appears on the eastern coast of Asia
.
in 1855 by architect Richard Morris Hunt
, who gave it to James Lenox
, whose collection became part of the New York Public Library
, where the globe still resides.
In his recollections, Henry Stevens recalled seeing the globe while dining with Mr. Hunt in 1870. Hunt was ambivalent about the globe, which he bought "for a song," and was allowing his children to toy with it. Stevens recognized its value and urged Hunt to store it in the Lenox Library
, which he was designing at the time. Stevens also borrowed the globe to ascertain its age with the help of Julius Erasmus Hilgard
, who worked for the Coast Survey—a predecessor to the U.S. National Geodetic Survey
.
However, neither article links hic sunt dracones to dragons. Da Costa writes:
In his translation of Da Costa's article, Gabriel Gravier adds that Marco Polo's Kingdom of Dagroian is in Java Minor, or Sumatra
, well away from the spot indicated on the Lenox Globe.
The flat drawing of the globe which accompanied the early articles is reproduced as map 7 in Emerson D. Fite and Archibald Freeman's A Book of Old Maps Delineating American History (New York: Dover Reprints, 1969), and as figure 43 in A. E. Nordenskiöld
's Facsimile-Atlas to the Early History of Cartography (New York: Dover Reprints, 1973). [Note: map illustrations 6 and 7 are reversed in some copies of Fite and Freeman.]
A photograph of the globe itself can be found on page 81 of Ena L. Yonge's A Catalogue of Early Globes Made Prior to 1850 and Conserved in the United States (New York: American Geographical Society, 1968); however, the side with the inscription faces away from the camera.
Globe
A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
, after the Erdapfel
Erdapfel
The Erdapfel produced by Martin Behaim in 1492 is considered to be the oldest surviving terrestrial globe. It is constructed of a laminated linen ball in two halves, reinforced with wood and overlaid with a map painted by Georg Glockendon....
of 1492. It bears a striking resemblance to the Globus Jagellonicus
Globus Jagellonicus
The Globus Jagellonicus or Jagiellonian globe, made in France and dated to around 1510, is by some considered to be the oldest existing globe to show the Americas...
, also tentatively dated to 1510. It is housed by the Rare Book Division of the New York Public Library.
Description
The Lenox Globe is a hollow copper globe that measures 112 millimetres (4.4 in) in diameter and 345 millimetres (13.6 in) in circumference. It is two parts, joined at the equator and held together by a wire strung through holes at the poles. It is notable as the only instance on a historical map of the actual phrase HC SVNT DRACONES (in Latin hic sunt dracones means "here be dragonsHere be dragons
"Here be dragons" is a phrase used to denote dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of the medieval practice of putting sea serpents and other mythological creatures in uncharted areas of maps.-History:...
.") The phrase appears on the eastern coast of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Background
The globe is of unknown origin. It was purchased in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1855 by architect Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
, who gave it to James Lenox
James Lenox
James Lenox was an American bibliophile and philanthropist. His collection of paintings and books eventually became known as the Lenox Library and later became part of the New York Public Library in 1895.-Biography:...
, whose collection became part of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, where the globe still resides.
In his recollections, Henry Stevens recalled seeing the globe while dining with Mr. Hunt in 1870. Hunt was ambivalent about the globe, which he bought "for a song," and was allowing his children to toy with it. Stevens recognized its value and urged Hunt to store it in the Lenox Library
Lenox Library
Lenox Library may refer to:*Lenox Library *A former library now part of the New York Public Library...
, which he was designing at the time. Stevens also borrowed the globe to ascertain its age with the help of Julius Erasmus Hilgard
Julius Erasmus Hilgard
Julius Erasmus Hilgard was a German-American engineer.Julius Erasmus Hilgard was born at Zweibrücken, Rhenish Bavaria, January 7, 1825...
, who worked for the Coast Survey—a predecessor to the U.S. National Geodetic Survey
U.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
.
Publications
The earliest known article on the globe was written by B. F. de Costa for the Magazine of American History in September 1879. Gabriel Gravier reprinted the article with additional comments in the Bulletin de la société normande de géographie later that year.However, neither article links hic sunt dracones to dragons. Da Costa writes:
In this region [China, called "East India" on the globe], near the equatorial line, is seen "Hc Svnt Dracones," or here are the Dagroians, described by Marco PoloMarco PoloMarco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
as living in the Kingdom of "Dagroian." These people... feasted upon the dead and picked their bones (B.II. c.14, RamusioGiovanni Battista RamusioGiovanni Battista Ramusio was an Italian geographer and travel writer.Born in Treviso, Italy, Ramusio was the son of Paolo Ramusio, a magistrate in the city-state of Venice...
's ed.)
In his translation of Da Costa's article, Gabriel Gravier adds that Marco Polo's Kingdom of Dagroian is in Java Minor, or Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, well away from the spot indicated on the Lenox Globe.
The flat drawing of the globe which accompanied the early articles is reproduced as map 7 in Emerson D. Fite and Archibald Freeman's A Book of Old Maps Delineating American History (New York: Dover Reprints, 1969), and as figure 43 in A. E. Nordenskiöld
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
Freiherr Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld , also known as A. E. Nordenskioeld was a Finnish baron, geologist, mineralogist and arctic explorer of Finnish-Swedish origin. He was a member of the prominent Finland-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists...
's Facsimile-Atlas to the Early History of Cartography (New York: Dover Reprints, 1973). [Note: map illustrations 6 and 7 are reversed in some copies of Fite and Freeman.]
A photograph of the globe itself can be found on page 81 of Ena L. Yonge's A Catalogue of Early Globes Made Prior to 1850 and Conserved in the United States (New York: American Geographical Society, 1968); however, the side with the inscription faces away from the camera.
External links
- The Hunt-Lenox Globe, Treasures of the New York Public Library
- Description of the Lenox Globe
- Photo of the Lenox Globe