In 1951, through the gift of Stephen W. Phillips (Class of 1895) and Curt H. Reisinger (1912), the map collection of the Prince Liechtenstein was purchased and brought to Houghton Library. Among the over 150 wall and sheet maps, for the most part collected by General von Hauslab, there are printed gores for making globes. One such set is Willem Janszoon Blaeu’s gores for a celestial globe, 9 gores on 3 sheets, with the title Sphaera Stellifera, *51-2459 PF.
According to “The First Celestial Globe of Willem Janszoon Blaeu,” by D.J. Warner (Imago Mundi, v.25, 1971, pp.29-38), these gores may have been created between 1596 and 1600 as Blaeu’s first celestial globe. The wonderful illustrations were engraved by Jan Pietersz. Saenredam.
Click on the image to the left to access the full digital image.