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LOT 31

A rare George III sterling silver globe on stand, 'The Captain Cook Globe' Valentine Anscheutz & Co., London, 1772, the stand John Robins, London, 1781

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In commemoration of Captain Cook's first voyage from 1768-1771 on HMS Endeavour, etched with his southern route; marked on stand.

Provenance: Rare Art, London.
The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer.

This globe was originally believed to depict Captain James Cook's (English, 1728-1779) third and final voyage--an attempt to find the Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia over the Arctic. Embarking from Plymouth, England in the summer of 1776, this voyage on the ships HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery sailed south to Capetown, then east to Polynesia, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, and on to Alaska to attempt passage through the Bering Strait. The voyage ended in tragedy, with Cook's death in Hawaii in 1779, and his ships returned to London in 1780; the manufacture date of the present lot, in 1781, lent credence to the supposition that it was produced in commemoration of that route, following the publication of Cook's accounts that same year.

Further investigation, however, suggests that the globe depicts Cook's first voyage from 1768 to 1771 on HMS Endeavour, which marked the first discovery of New Zealand and Australia by Europeans. Its northern and southern poles reversed, the globe is etched with the southerly route first mapped by Cook. Though the northern hemisphere is largely not depicted on the globe, the absence of what appears to be the Hawaiian Islands is significant in any attribution to the third voyage.

The scientific precision of the execution is entirely in keeping with Cook's own meticulous cartography; indeed, the present lot is so detailed that it is possible to discern the map it may be drawn from. One suggestion is the 1784 "A General Chart Exhibiting the Discoveries made by Captn. James Cook in this and his two preceding Voyages" by William Faden and Henry Roberts. Though this map was technically published three years after the date mark on the stand of the globe, earlier drafts of the map may have been used by silversmith John Robins, or the final etching on the globe may have been completed after the silver was cast.

In commemoration of Captain Cook's first voyage from 1768-1771 on HMS Endeavour, etched with his southern route; marked on stand.

H: 14 in., Dia: 9 1/2 in. Weight: 72 oz. t.

Provenance: Rare Art, London.
The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer.

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[ translate ]

In commemoration of Captain Cook's first voyage from 1768-1771 on HMS Endeavour, etched with his southern route; marked on stand.

Provenance: Rare Art, London.
The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer.

This globe was originally believed to depict Captain James Cook's (English, 1728-1779) third and final voyage--an attempt to find the Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia over the Arctic. Embarking from Plymouth, England in the summer of 1776, this voyage on the ships HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery sailed south to Capetown, then east to Polynesia, Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, and on to Alaska to attempt passage through the Bering Strait. The voyage ended in tragedy, with Cook's death in Hawaii in 1779, and his ships returned to London in 1780; the manufacture date of the present lot, in 1781, lent credence to the supposition that it was produced in commemoration of that route, following the publication of Cook's accounts that same year.

Further investigation, however, suggests that the globe depicts Cook's first voyage from 1768 to 1771 on HMS Endeavour, which marked the first discovery of New Zealand and Australia by Europeans. Its northern and southern poles reversed, the globe is etched with the southerly route first mapped by Cook. Though the northern hemisphere is largely not depicted on the globe, the absence of what appears to be the Hawaiian Islands is significant in any attribution to the third voyage.

The scientific precision of the execution is entirely in keeping with Cook's own meticulous cartography; indeed, the present lot is so detailed that it is possible to discern the map it may be drawn from. One suggestion is the 1784 "A General Chart Exhibiting the Discoveries made by Captn. James Cook in this and his two preceding Voyages" by William Faden and Henry Roberts. Though this map was technically published three years after the date mark on the stand of the globe, earlier drafts of the map may have been used by silversmith John Robins, or the final etching on the globe may have been completed after the silver was cast.

In commemoration of Captain Cook's first voyage from 1768-1771 on HMS Endeavour, etched with his southern route; marked on stand.

H: 14 in., Dia: 9 1/2 in. Weight: 72 oz. t.

Provenance: Rare Art, London.
The Collection of Victor Niederhoffer.

[ translate ]
Sale price
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Estimate
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Time, Location
19 Jun 2019
United Kingdom
Auction House
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