Leather journal with hand painted illuminated miniature on vellum and gold tooled decoration - Pelican Feeding Her Young

This journal is bound in brown goatskin and decorated on its front cover with a copy of a detail from a medieval illumination. The image depicts a pelican piercing its own breast and feeding its chicks with the blood. This symbolic act is rooted in a medieval belief that pelicans would make this sacrifice in times of famine to feed their young with their own blood to prevent starvation. The original image dates back to 1270 and is from Ms. Ludwig XV 3, fol. 72., currently in the Getty Museum collection. 

The rest of the decoration of this notebook is tooled with black and gold foil to form a frame around the borders and a diamond pattern on the back cover and the spine. The miniature painting was executed on vellum to resemble the original medieval technique. The vellum was inlayed into a panel that is slightly recessed from the surface of the cover. The paintings was done with acrylic leather paint and imitation gold leaf then sealed with varnish.

The notebook measures 4.3 x 6.3 inches (11 x 16 cm) and it has 130 pages (260 sides) of hand torn Conqueror Connoisseur 100% Cotton paper, warm white color, 110 gsm. This paper is acid free and will hold well ink and dry media.

The end pages are made of hand marbled paper with a red, brown and ocher and blue veins. The headbands are made of brown leather with gold tooled fine stripes. 

This miniature notebook is one of a kind, like all my hand painted journals. I hope it makes a great addition to your collection!