Turquoise Cassini Desk Globe

The Cassini globe uses bright, colorful shading to represent each country’s population, with the color scale explained in the globe legend. The globe can be lifted off its oak 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. The Cassini is named in honor of Giovanni Cassini, the Italian mathematician, astronomer, and engineer who discovered four satellites of Saturn and noted the division of its rings. Additionally, he created the first scientific map of the moon. The Cassini space probe, launched in 1997, was named after him and became the fourth probe to visit Saturn and the first to orbit it.

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 15.75in (on stand), ⌀ 14.2in