A catalog of old globes in Spanish public collections

This paper presents the first catalog of celestial and terrestrial globes, as well as armillary spheres and orreries, produced before 1900 and preserved in Spanish public institutions. Most globes have an English or French origin, predominantly from the late 18th or 19th centuries. We highlight a few outstanding examples, including an early metallic terrestrial globe, a mysterious blue celestial manuscript globe, the oldest preserved Spanish printed globe, and some interesting clockwork pieces. While Spain has not been a major producer of globes, it does preserve around 200 historical globes in public collections, including several remarkable pieces.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal for the History of Astronomy
Published
2026-02-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/00218286251408512
Primary Topic
Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

A catalog of old globes in Spanish public collections

Journal for the History of Astronomy
Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
article

A catalog of old globes in Spanish public collections

article en

Abstract

This paper presents the first catalog of celestial and terrestrial globes, as well as armillary spheres and orreries, produced before 1900 and preserved in Spanish public institutions. Most globes have an English or French origin, predominantly from the late 18th or 19th centuries. We highlight a few outstanding examples, including an early metallic terrestrial globe, a mysterious blue celestial manuscript globe, the oldest preserved Spanish printed globe, and some interesting clockwork pieces. While Spain has not been a major producer of globes, it does preserve around 200 historical globes in public collections, including several remarkable pieces.

Journal for the History of AstronomyVol. 57(1)
Spanish National Observatory (ES)
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 62%
Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
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