Leather journal with hand painted decoration and miniature on vellum - St George and the Dragon

This journal is bound in ivory goatskin and decorated on its front cover with a hand painted copy of a detail from a medieval illumination. The image depicts St George on horseback, sword raised, with the dragon. In this representation iconography portrays St. George on horseback, slaying a dragon, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. The legend typically depicts the dragon as a ferocious beast however in this particular representation the dragon resembles a cute little creature. The image is from Harley 2952 manuscript, f.21, Book of Hours, France, dating circa 1415, currently in the British Library archive.

The rest of the decoration of this notebook is inspired by the same decorative style and was hand painted with leather dyes and gold foil. 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 paints and imitation gold leaf then sealed with varnish.

The notebook measures 4.1 x 5.3 inches (10.5 x13.5 cm) and it has 160 pages (320 sides) of hand torn Keaykolour creative paper with parchment texture. The paper has a natural earthy color and 90 gsm. This paper is acid free and will hold well ink and dry media.

The end pages are made of hand marbled paper in peacock pattern. The headbands are hand sewn from blue and gold thread.

This miniature book is a hand painted little artwork. I hope it makes a great addition to your collection!