Mars Globe

Mars Globe, one of five hand-painted globes made by the Danish artist Ingeborg Bruhn circa 1916. It depicts the albedo features of Mars, south up, as seen through a telescope, based on the drawings of Percival Lowell. The globe, 20 cm in diameter, has an elaborate brass stand on which is inscribed (in English) “Mars, after Lowell’s Glober [sic], 1894-1914; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Free Land, Free Trade, Free Men.” The quotation from the Lord’s Prayer, not present on other Bruhn globes, suggests it was painted specifically for the Vatican. (The Mars Globe is presently on display at the exhibit “Storie dall’Altro Mondo” in Pisa.)