the da vinci globe is a distinct globe made by the left-handed leonardo da vinci with numerous images, such as ships, a volcano, sailors, a hybrid monster, pentimenti, ocean waves, conic individualized mountains, rivers, coastal lines, puns, chiaroscuro (treaty line of tordesillas dating from 1494) and a triangular anagram. the variety of differently outlined mountains, with sharp-pointed peaks combined with conic ones, evoke a plurality of representations. there are signs of depth effects – such as those created by the cross-hatching shading effects of the various types of mountains. this shading effect is the case for the watery surface of the oceans, the mingling and twisting waves, and the differently modeled ships and boats. the rigged ships are rendered with great care and meticulous detail. da vinci owned a manuscript by francesco di giorgio martini, now called the codex ashburnham. on page 25 verso, there is an identical birds-eye-view of a square-rigged carrack with a reefed sail on a river as on leonardo da vinci globe. da vinci makes annotations in that manuscript. it is the only surviving book from his extensive library. the detailed analysis of the italian expert elisabetta gnignera of the engraved but amazingly detailed hairstyle of the dynamic portraiture of the drowning marine offers a date compatible with the date (1504) and provenance (florence) of the leonardo da vinci globe. the intricately braided waves engraved on the surface of the globe appear like manes and curly locks of hair and are unique in the history of cartography.