Armillary sphere attributed to Desnos made circa 1740/1750

Armillary sphere of Ptolemaic type which we certainly attribute to Desnos, though unsigned.

The quadripod wood stand in vernis Martin, black and gold, typical of decors said « à l’Abbé Nollet ».

The absence of the New Holland east cost helps dating the globe around 1740/1750 in relation with maps established by Bellin in 1753 giving some first approximative lines. Also note California presented as an island.

Literature : Louis Charles Desnos was instrument maker and geographer who married the daughter of another globe maker Jacques Hardy in 1749 and then set up at same Paris address « rue Saint Julien le pauvre ». He dedicated to the king a number of other quality globes under his later address « rue St Jacques St Séverin - Au globe à Paris ». He is considered as one of the most pre-eminent French globe maker of his time.

L’Abbé Nollet was a physicist who was holding court in Paris in the years 1745/1770. He was a precursor in all sorts of applications in new inventions, even precursor in electricity. All his prototype instruments were partly wood black-lacquered an gold decorated which became fashionable and charasteristic of the best instruments of the period.

Dimensions : 51 cm high x 40 cm diameter.

Paris 1740/1750.

Also discover many more antique globes and armillary spheres in the dedicated section of our French website : « Globes et sphères armillaires ».