A 16th century globe depicting sea monsters, ships and "Triton" - son of Poseidon, according to Greek mythology - is the oldest globe to go under the hammer.
The "priceless" object, which was created before Australia was discovered[/b], will be auctioned today by British house Hansons, CNN reports.
"This globe depicts a world before Australia was even discovered (1606). The country appears on the globe as part of a southern land mass called "Terra Incognita". Japan is called "Sipannge", while the islands near Java are called "Gryforum Insule", the US agency comments.
It has a diameter of 8.8 cm and if we wanted to estimate its age, we would say it is about 500 years old. It belonged to a member of the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Association (MFAA), which protected cultural treasures during World War II.
Jim Spencer, head of auction at British auction house Hansons, was "stunned" when someone brought the globe to the company's salesroom in Staffordshire for a free appraisal. The person who brought it wasn't sure if the globe was a big deal, Jim Spencer points out.
However, research conducted by the British house of Hansons showed that it dates to around 1550 to 1560.
As for the starting price, CNN reports, it is estimated at between £20,000 and £30,000 ($26,443-39,650), although Spencer believes it will likely exceed that amount
."I think a globe made of paper, like ours from this period, is special," he argued."
Spencer contacted experts from around the world in an effort to learn more about its origin.
Most museums told him they could not help him because they did not have anything like it in their collections, but one referred him to French physicist and geologist François Demogene, who was active in 1550 to 1560.
Originally, the globe belonged to the collection of Major Edward Croft Murray. "I suppose we will never know how the Major acquired the globe, but we do know that he was one of the men, the Monuments Men, who attempted to salvage all kinds of treasures during the war."
Source: APE-MPA
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