"Sphaerarum Artificialium Typica Repraesentatio Novissime Adumbrata", Homann, Johann Baptist

This elegant engraving is from one of Homann's celestial atlases. It illustrates a pair of terrestrial and celestial globes and a matching armillary sphere, all on Baroque library stands. The armillary sphere is a model of the celestial sphere, consisting of a spherical framework of rings, centered on Earth, that represent lines of celestial longitude and latitude and the ecliptic. The terrestrial globe shows Asia, Europe and Africa and the celestial shows various constellations with figures according to Greek mythology. Each of the Baroque stands incorporates caryatid elements in the supports, together with other classical ornamentation.

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Condition: B

Full contemporary color that has been partially refreshed on paper with a large "4" watermark, light soiling, a crease at bottom left, and an abrasion at bottom center with the neatline replaced in facsimile. There are archival repairs to a 2" tear near the center of the image, a 5" tear at bottom, and a couple of shorter tears at bottom.