Russia: Restoration of a unique Blaeu globe completed

A detail of the globe by Joan Blaeu depicting the earth (photo: artmoskovia.ru).

Russia: Restoration of a unique Blaeu globe completed

A carefully restored Blaeu globe (1647) was presented in Moscow to journalists and heritage experts on 28 January.

The State Historical Museum in Moscow holds a unique pair of seventeenth century globes by Joan Blaeu: one depicting the earth, and one showing the skies. Joan Blaeu (1596 – 1673) was a Dutch cartographer born in Alkmaar, and the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu.

Restoring shared cultural heritage

For decades, the state of technology did not allow for proper restoration, but last year the Grabar Institute felt confident to start the work. After thorough research, restoration started and the ‘earth’ globe was shown to the public on 28 January. Work on the ‘skies’ is underway, and expected to be finished in 2021.

See a video about the restoration (in Russian).

The conservation project is financed by the Russian law firm Gorodissky and Partners.

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