Hunt-Lenox Globe in a small stand that obscures some of its surface, as it appears normally in the New York Public Library
A photo of the Hunt-Lenox globe.

This post was originally published on the Digital Scholarship Lab’s website.

The Digital Scholarship Lab collaborated with the Lazarus Project to produce a 3D model of the New York Public Library’s Hunt-Lenox Globe, which dates from ca. 1510. Considering the size of the globe–it is only 5 inches in diameter–the 3D model not only facilitates access to the historic object but it also allows viewers to explore details of the globe otherwise hidden by its size and the bronze armillary sphere that contains it.

The Lazarus Project has recently imaged the Globus Jagellonicus from the Jagiellonian University Museum in Krakow, of which the DSL has also produced a 3D model, and is planning to image the Erdapfel from the Germanic Museum in Nuremberg. Ultimately this will result in 3D representations of all three of the world’s oldest known terrestrial globes.

 

 

Expanding capacity for 3D representations of cultural heritage objects

As a means of providing access to these artifacts, the DSL is expanding upon the 3D viewer originally built for the Ward Project to add features such as VR capability and annotations. The goal is to produce a presentation platform designed for 3D representations of cultural heritage objects that allows for virtual “guided exhibits” of the objects as well as independent exploration. The expanding toolset is designed to provide domain experts with the ability to uncover surface information about an object and disseminate their findings to a wider audience.

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A rendering of the Hunt-Lenox globe in the DSL's 3D viewer.
A rendering of the Hunt-Lenox globe in the DSL’s 3D viewer.

 

 

Features of the 3D Viewer

Selections of the Hunt-Lenox Globe in the DSL’s 3D Viewer

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detail of an etched shipwreck
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zoomed in globe displaying text that reads Tropic of cancer
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A rendering of the Hunt-Lenox globe in the DSL's 3D viewer.
“hic sunt dracones” (here are dragons)

Dynamic lighting tools to highlight areas on the object

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Tools of 3D reviewer that highlights an etched fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Analyzing tools help viewers explore textures. Can you find the shipwreck?

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detail of an etched shipwreck with lighting tools applied
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detail of an etched shipwreck

Lighting options on the 3D viewer reveal details not readily apparent on the original.

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detail of an etched shipwreck