Impressive large German terrestrial globe by innovative German publisher, Adolf Henze (1814-1883). Nicknamed the "giant globe", it was the largest commercial globe ever made.

Henze was a specialist in the field of graphology (the study of handwriting) and numismatist (the study of currency and coins), he was also the publisher of a periodical magazine titled “Illustrierter Anzeiger für Contor und Bureau” [“Illustrated Magazine for Office and Premises], which was released six times and year, answering merchant’s questions about exchange rates, postage regulations, copyright law and more. The magazine regularly featured free supplements to encourage subscription, such as maps and conversion charts.

Between 1885 and 1890, at irregular intervals, subscribers could collect 24 individual gores and 2 polar caps for Henze’s huge 106cm-diameter “Erd-Globus”. For a fee, collectors with a complete set could send away for a pneumatic assembly kit, or have them installed onto a sphere and pedestal base. In the case of this example, the gores date between 1885-1890 and the orb and pedestal base are modern, bespoke-made and sympathetically crafted to mirror the original artefact that would have been made in 1890s.

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