John and William Cary. Cary's New and Improved Celestial Globe: Cary’s New Terrestrial Globe. 1799/1815.

CARY, John (1754–1835) and William (1759–1825)

Cary's New and Improved Celestial Globe: Cary’s New Terrestrial Globe

A pair of tall library globes, each made up of 2 sets of 12 hand-colored engraved globe gores, each with title cartouches. Original varnish removed, some stress fractures, as usual, a few expertly restored, occasional light browning. Brass hour circles, diameter 3.25 inches, and brass meridian circles, each with an engraved graticule to one face.

The globes mounted on their original elegant English Georgian mahogany tripod stands, original compasses and pointers, both horizon bars with facsimile papers, supported by four quadrants, with central turned wooden pillar and 3 ball and claw feet. An elegant ebonized lozenge inlay on each tripod leg.

London, Celestial dated 1799; Terrestrial 1815 with amended information to 1833
Diameter 21 in.; Height 47 in.

A fine pair of attractive floor-standing 21-inch library globes, presented on distinctive Cary English-style stands. The firm of Cary was established by John Cary, a noted map-seller and engraver, and his brother William, an instrument maker. The firm published their first globes in 1791 and by the end of the 18th century had already established themselves as one of London's leading globe manufacturers. In about 1820, the Cary brothers moved their business to 86 St. James’s Street, leaving their premises at 181 Strand to John Cary’s two sons, George (1788–1859) and John Jr. (1791–1852), who traded as G & J Cary until around 1850 and continued to produce globes of the highest quality.

The rivalry in London between the Cary and Newton firms over this period created intense competition, with both firms making highly polished and decorative globe pairs for both table and library use. The Cary brothers were particularly attentive to the geography of the terrestrial globe, the plates often being amended with new information as it came in. This particular globe has an 1815 dated gore but with amendments up to 1833.