Handpainted leather journal, "Orbis Descriptio", Heart Shaped Map Projection, One of a Kind

This blank book is bound in natural leather painted by hand in great detail. The decoration is a free reproduction of the cartography representation from 1534 by Oronce Finé, the most prominent 16th century French cartographer. Originally engraved on wood, it was considered one of the finest and rare example of workmanship that combines geographical representation with artistic imagery.  From a strict scientific view point it may be somewhat retrograde due to the fact that it depicts North America as an extension of Asia but the beauty in the details of these representations fascinated me and I wanted to create a traveler journal that reflects that. A interesting detail is also the proposed name for Antarctica, the "terra nuper inventa sed non plene examinata -- territory newly invented, but not yet explored.

The entire book was designed to resemble a medieval tome, using leather dye and colored patina to give it a worn look. The end pages are made of hand marbled paper with brown veins. The headbands are hand sewn from orange and grey silk threads.

The book measures 6.3x10.3 inches (16x26 cm). It has around 170 pages (340 sides) of hand torn Keaykolour creative paper with parchment texture. The paper has a natural earthy color and 90 gsm. It will work great for writing in wet and dry media and it does not bleed through.

This journal is a one of a kind art object. You can expose it as a unique piece of book art in your collection or use it as a traveling journal, either way, you will love it once you’ll meet it.