Nathaniel Hill, pocket globe. London 1754

Nathaniel Hill
Pocket globe
London, 1754


The globe is contained in its original case, which itself is covered in shark skin.
There are slight gaps in the original paint on the sphere. The case no longer closes.

The sphere measures 2.6 in (6.8 cm) in diameter whereas the case measures 2.9 in (7.4 cm) in diameter.

The globe is made up of twelve printed paper gores aligned and glued to the sphere.
In the North Pacific Ocean there is a scroll with the inscription:

A
NEW
terrestrial
GLOBE
by
Nath. Hill
1754

The celestial globe is depicted on the inside of the box.
On the terrestrial globe much of central and southern Africa is empty. North America bears only the name of some British colonies. It shows California as a peninsula and the northwest coast of America as "unknown parts" (Alaska is not described and is only partially delineated; it would become part of the United States in 1867). The route of Admiral Anson is traced (1740) and the trade winds are indicated by arrows. Australia, still named New Holland (the new name would be introduced in 1824), is part of the west coast. (See Van der Krogt, P., Old Globes in the Netherlands, Utrecht 1984, p. 146 and Van der Krogt, P. - Dekker, E., Globes from the Western World, London 1993, p. 115.)
Nathaniel Hill (London, news from 1746 to 1768) had impeccable professional credentials: he had done his apprenticeship with Richard Cushee, who at the time was carrying out surveying work for John Senex's Surrey map. Hill himself also began to perform geographical and topographical surveys, working in Yorkshire, in the Fens, and around London.
In 1783 John Newton, to publish a new pocket globe, reused the same copper plates as Hill, updating them with new geographical discoveries, updating the date and replacing the old name with his own. (See Van der Krogt, P., Old Globes in the Netherlands, Utrecht 1984, p. 146 and Van der Krogt, P. - Dekker, E., Globes from the Western World, London 1993, pp. 104, 105, 115.)
There is evidently a strong link between geographic survey, the creation of maps and globes and the engraving. Hill was involved in all three.
Surprisingly, a few Hill globes survived.

Bibliography:
Per un confronto con altri esemplari si veda:
Van der Krogt, P., Old Globes in the Netherlands, H&S, Utrecht 1984;
Van der Krogt, P. - Dekker, E., Globes from the Western World, London 1993.