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www.privateairny.com Private Air | Summer 2020 85 Peter Bellerby and his team of master artisans at Bellerby & Co Globemakers create some of the most exquisite handcrafted globes that are truly one-of-kind masterpieces. NEW MASTERPIECES By: Jennifer Durrans THE COLLECTION T he concept of the Earth as a sphere has been around for centuries. Initially emerging around the six century BC at the time of Pythagoras and later become official thanks to Plato and Aristotle. However, the first record of an actual globe can be found in a verse written by Greek didactic poet, Aratus (d. 240 BC) who describes a celestial sphere of stars. Greek philosopher Crates of Mallus made the first known globe, and since then, globes have served as a learning tool, part map, part instrument, part décor, and part fine art. Twenty-first-century technology has eliminated the need for the device as a learning tool, and many companies have stopped its production. Antique globes have become a collector's item showing up in some of the most significant private collections, and finding a new quality globe is rare. Hence, the magical world of wizardry and artistry that has become Bellerby & Co Globemakers. Based in Stoke Newington, London, England, and founded by Peter Bellerby in 2008, the award-winning Bellerby & Co have curated globes for prestigious collections and personalities worldwide as well as made an appearance in numerous TV and film productions, including Hugo (2011). Starting with a two-year search for a globe for his father's 80th birthday present, Peter finally latched firmly onto the notion of deciding to create his own bespoke one. e rest is history. Since then, their accomplishments have kept rolling in, recently completing "e Churchill" 127cm diameter globe in entirely Arabic and being awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise. According to Customer Relations Specialist, Jade Aura Fenster, Bellerby & Co globes can be found in various private collections, of which cannot be named for privacy reasons. Just to give a hint, a former US head of state proudly owns one. "Our globes have gone far and wide - Papeete, Cambodia, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, and one was even taken up to an Arctic station. We get surprising and interesting addresses coming through on orders all the time," Jade tells us. at is why the prestige of owning a Bellerby & Co Globe is a prerequisite for all art collectors and interior enthusiasts. ere is no need to make a clear distinction between functionality and decorative appeal. Globes are synonymous with celestial intrigue because they are crafted as if you are looking at Earth from space itself. From the globe molds through to goring the map, there is meticulous precision that goes far beyond artistic finesse, but rather it's applied with scientific aptitude.

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