Pair of 17th century globes has been added to the exposition of the State Historical Museum after restoration

On April 12, after restoration the State Historical Museum presented two unique globes made in the 1640s by the famous workshop of Dutch cartographers and publishers Blaeu,. The restoration work was sponsored by the Law firm Gorodissky & Partners.

The terrestrial and celestial globes of Blaeu have an important cultural and scientific value as an invaluable source of knowledge about the great geographical discoveries and the development of European scientific thought. Today, these artifacts convey to contemporaries the 17th century people's view of the universe. In Russia only the State Historical Museum has a pair of unique globes.

The first work on the restoration of the terrestrial globe began back in 1986, but due to the lack of technology to restore such complex objects, the process was not completed.

"We were able to proceed with the restoration only when we received the partner support of the Gorodissky & Partners, thanks to them this unique work on the restoration of the cartographic relic could take place. A lot of work was done," said Alexei Levykin, director of the State Historical Museum, during the ceremony.

In 2018 - 2021, specialists of the All-Russian Art Research Center named after academician I.E. Grabar conducted the necessary research, developed technology and carried out the restoration of spheres, wooden bases and metal parts. In four years, under extremely difficult conditions, the work on the restoration of the globes was completed.

The decision to restore these artifacts was born in the year of the 60th anniversary of Gorodissky & Partners.

"We wanted to mark such a date with something really important," Venera Kanukova, head of the administrative department of Gorodissky & Partners, told reporters. - Then we took the initiative to finance one of the globes. But when we saw it in what a bad condition the pair is and heard from the museum staff, how important this exhibit is, how necessary it is to preserve the globes in the pair, as well as the sad history of the previously failed restoration, we decided to double the stakes”.

As the restorers admit, the project was a professional challenge for them. "It was a unique case that required us to develop a customized set of restoration measures. In the process, we have repeatedly gathered professional advice, solved fundamental issues and created completely new schemes of work", - says Evgeniya Mymrina, artist-restorer of the highest category, employee of the restoration workshop of graphics, rare books and documents on paper at All-Russian Art Scientific Restoration Center named after Academician I.E. Grabar.

Currently, the globes are presented in the permanent exhibition of the State Historical Museum, in Hall 23.