Ancient terrestial globe an exciting historical auction find

A 1638 Greuter-Rossi terrestrial globe, with a catalogue estimate of $150,000 to $200,000, is an unusual and exciting historical drawcard to Mossgreen’s two-day International Decorative Arts auction from 6pm Monday May 8 at 926-930 High Street, Armadale.

Giovanni Rossi published this extremely rare example of Matthaeus Greuter’s terrestrial globe in Rome following the latter’s death in 1638.

Only the second recorded example of Rossi’s re-issue of the globe, it features one of the earliest printed cartographic descriptions of America’s Great Lakes in more or less their correct form, the first naming of New Amsterdam (New York) on a globe and the first time Lake Superior is given its current named.

In stark contrast to Greuter’s up to date work on North America, his representation of Terra Australis Incognita is anachronistic with recent discoveries in Australia at the time totally ignored.

Continuing from 10am Tuesday, the auction features a large Ghoum silk carpet (estimate $25,000-$35,000), an impressive set of four George IV Rococco embossed scroll candlesticks and a pair of large French provincial style settees.

The sale features an exceptional selection of Chinese and other Asian artefacts including a rare 16^th century Tibetan/Muastang district secated copper alloy figure of Amitabha and a 19^th century pale-green white jade carved mountain.

Other Chinese highlights include a 12^th century Southern Song dynasty Qingbai boys bowl and a pair of “doucai” bowls carrying the Chenghua mark from the 17^th-18^th centuries.