We've Got The Whole World In Our Hands

We're up to our eyeballs in globes this week. I think there's something inherently beautiful about globes, and apparently I'm not the only one. (I like maps, too, but that will have to be another week.)

The Astronomer
By Jan Vermeer

Celestial Globe (detail)
By Giuseppe de Rossi, 1615

Detail from a painting of St. Augustine, c. 1480
by Sandro Botticelli
Some info from Wikipedia about armillary spheres:
"Renaissance scientists and public figures often had their portraits painted showing them with one hand on an armillary sphere, which represented the height of wisdom and knowledge. Armillary spheres were among the first complex mechanical devices. Their development led to many improvements in techniques and design of all mechanical devices. The armillary sphere survives as useful for teaching, and may be described as a skeleton celestial globe, the series of rings representing the great circles of the heavens, and revolving on an axis within a horizon."

The Globe of Found Objects
By Holly Hughes

This 1996 community collaboration was designed and built by Holly Hughes with the help of 2000 volunteers, including artists from 17 countries. It is made entirely of recycled items.

More globes, plus some "do it yourself" sites:

~ Simeon Solomon's The Vision in the Crystal Globe
~ Frank Meisler's Large Jerusalem Sphere
~ Artistic Globes by Sabine Réthoré
~ A self-portrait in a reflecting globe by Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher
~ The nonprofit organization, Cool Globes, is using art to raise awareness and inspire individuals and community leaders to embrace solutions regarding global warming.
~ How To Make a Paper Mache Earth
~ How To Make an Armillary Sphere