Gagarin Desk Globe

The Gagarin globe is painted to show the coloring of the land on Earth as it would appear from space–from green, heavily forested areas to tan, arid desserts. It is named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person to journey into outer space. Traveling on Vostok 1, he completed one orbit of Earth on April 12, 1961, with his flight taking 108 minutes. The globe can be lifted off its coffee-stained walnut base and rests atop a ball-bearing system allowing it to spin 360 degrees in all directions. The hand-painted watercolors are sealed with a durable matte resin to protect.

After a fruitless search for a globe for his father’s 80th birthday present, Peter Bellerby set out to make one himself. The undertaking proved exceedingly more detailed than expected, yet Bellerby was undaunted and ultimately successful in his mission. After completing the globe for his father, he established Bellerby & Co. Globemakers in 2008.  Now, in his North London studio, he and his team of artisans continue to follow the arduous process to create bespoke globes that tell personalized stories for his clientele. Each globe is a unique, handcrafted, interactive work of art. We love this short clip from CBS Sunday Morning profiling Peter and his remarkable team.

H 10in (on stand), ⌀ 8.33in