“Philips Celestial Globe Bookend” (SOLD)

Sz: 6 3/4″H x 4 7/8″D x 4 1/4″W

George Philip & Son
Philips’ 6-inch Popular Celestial Globe
London: Mid 20th Century

The globe is printed in beige against a dark blue background. The stars are drawn to five degrees of magnitude, corresponding to a key in the cartouche. Some stars are named and many are labeled with Greek letters. Solid lines connect the stars within constellations rather than illustrating them as mythological and other figures. Straight dotted lines indicate their boundaries according to a convention dividing the sky into 88 interlocking constellations adopted in the 1920s by the International Astronomical Union. The Milky Way is indicated shaded with pale white dots.