Bulletin 2011 [antikvár]

PRINTED HUNGÁRIÁN GLOBES FROM THE BEGINNINGS TO OUR DAYS 1 The first exhibition introducing the history of the fírst Hungárián celestial and terrestrial globes was opened in the National Széchényi Library on 16"1 October 2010. Although cartographie documents, such as printed celestial and terrestrial globes are ruled by the prevailing provisions for mandatory deposit copies, to our greatest regret, the fulles't éditions of these works are found in private collections. This display of magnificent pieces was enabled through the generous support of the owner of the collection. The history of producing globes in Hungary is given a brief overview here. The use of globes is closely relat-ed to schools. These documents did not only impart géographie knowledge to students about the Earth, but also enabled the démonstration of other events and phenomena of astronomy. Thus, it is not surpris-ing that the pioneer of Hungárián éducation, János Apáczai Csere (1625-1659), who returned to Hungary after his studies at a Dutch university, recommended in his Hungárián Encyclopedia published in 1655 that "globes1 or sheet maps2" should be used for teaching geography.3 While the Ratio Educationis decree of 1777 for the reform of Hungárián school éducation only mentions the possibility and advantages of apply-ing globes, in its 1806 revised form, law-makers already made them a requisite of any school's equip-ment. For a long time their high price prohibited the widespread use of "man-made globes" in schools. A considérable drop in the printing costs of the globe segments was due to lithography, while the mass production of the actual spheres was built on the émergence of workshops and small factories that were able to cope with the task. The wide use of printed celestial and terrestrial globes, or "spheres" as they were called in 19 century Hungary, was strongly related to more generál, and eventually mandatory elementary éducation for ail. This process is demonstrated by the NSZL exhibition, the first time that a comprehensive display of printed Hungárián celestial and terrestrial globes and their history has been shown to the public. The first Hungárián celestial and terrestrial globe for schools is associated with Károly Nagy (1797—1868)% funded by Count Kázmér Antal Ferenc Batthyányi's (1807-1854) contribution of ten thou-sand silver florins. One of the globes5 was made in Vienna, while another one6 in Paris. The Hungárián Scholarly Society was also actively involved in creating these "spheres": On the author's request, they willing- Celestial globe made by Károly Nagy ly undertook to render the inscriptions on the globes into Hungárián, thus laying down the basics of the discipline's terminology. The contributors to this project were no less than the poet József Bajza (1804-1858), the physician and language reformer Pál Bugát (1793-1855) and the poet, writer and lawyer Mihály Vörösmarty (1800-1855). Issue 77 of 1840 of the weekly Hírnö\ is pleased to inform the public that the first Hungárián spheres are ready, and thanks to Count Kázmér Batthyány's gen-erosity all Hungárián schools "that teach geography to a considerable extent will be given one as a present." Thus within a short time, schools received as many as 128 globes. The noble manufacturers did not sell any