Description

French cosmographe. C 1875, signed Cosmographe B’te. S..D.G., France & Etranger’ on the calendrical plate and Delamarche, Paris, Rue Serpente 25 ; on the 7’’ diameter globe. Standing on a turned ebonized wood base, the cosmographe has geared motion against a calendar scale, to show how the earth’s axis remains fixed in space throughout the year. A folding terminator ring is used to demonstrate the variation of solar illumination with season. The Delamarche firm was the most active French globe maker of the late 18th and early 19th centurie. Founded by Charles-François Delamarche c.1770, as successor to Robert de Vaugondy, it continued under the leadership of Félix Delamarche. The present 7’’ globe is a very detailed and well-delineated example, datable by political divisions to the period 1863-1886.