Album met voorstellingen van figuren in eigentijdse kostuums uit Griekenland, Turkije, Arabië, Perzië en Armenië uit: 'Les quatre premiers livres des navigations et pérégrations orientales' door Nicolas de Nicolay Possibly 1555 - 1899

Léon Davent created this album of figures in contemporary costumes from Greece, Turkey, Arabia, Persia, and Armenia around the mid-16th century. The album cover presents a study in understated elegance. The off-white vellum, aged and subtly textured, invites a tactile experience, while the simple composition is dominated by the rectangular form, devoid of ornamentation. The cover's materiality is integral to its impact, revealing the history etched into its surface. This aesthetic choice reflects a broader artistic and philosophical interest in the structural and elemental forms of art. The lack of embellishment encourages the viewer to focus on the object itself. It acknowledges the book as a repository of knowledge, its value residing in its contents, and the craftsmanship of its construction. The very form destabilizes conventional expectations. Here, the absence of traditional markers redirects us to consider how the most basic elements of design shape our engagement with the artwork. The cover functions not merely as protection, but as an integral element of the intellectual and cultural discourse surrounding the book.