In 1531 the French mathematician Oronce Finé projected the entire globe onto the shape of a heart. The cordiform projection was a serious attempt to flatten a sphere with less distortion — but the result is unforgettable for another reason: the whole world, oceans and continents and a vast imagined southern land, folded into a single valentine. Science and beauty meeting by happy accident. Of all the ways cartographers found to picture the Earth, none is lovelier or stranger than this.

Maker: Oronce Finé
Date: 1531
Medium of the original: Plate
Original held by: Published Paris
Credit: Published Paris
Rights: Public domain, verified
Catalogue number: PA-00333

As chosen: 24 x 18 in, art print, classic frame
Picture	24 x 18 in
Outside size	25.6 x 19.6 in
Depth	0.9 in (22 mm)
Weight	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: shipped weight per size and frame]]
Hanging	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: hanging hardware Prodigi fits to this frame]]
Material	Enhanced matte art paper, 200 gsm; acrylic glazing
Made in	Charlotte, North Carolina, by Prodigi

Before a size goes on sale, the file is measured against it: pixels per inch at that size, how much of the picture a crop would lose, tone and sharpness. A size that fails is not offered, so there is nothing to choose wrong.

How the print check works

Sizes offered
Size	dpi	Grade	How it fits
10 x 8 in	598	Excellent	Trimmed 2.9%
14 x 11 in	435	Excellent	Trimmed 1.1%
16 x 12 in	385	Excellent	Trimmed 3.5%
20 x 16 in	299	Excellent	Trimmed 2.9%
24 x 18 in	256	Excellent	Trimmed 3.5%
30 x 24 in	199	Good	Trimmed 2.9%
40 x 30 in	154	Good	Trimmed 3.5%

Sizes withheld
Size	Why
12 x 8 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
18 x 12 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
24 x 16 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
30 x 20 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
36 x 24 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop
48 x 36 in	128 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
60 x 40 in	Wrong shape: a 14% crop

Scanned

2026-10-07

Master file

6,160 x 4,786 px, srgb, Adobe RGB (1998)

Tone

Darks 127, lights 230 of 255; 0% clipped light, 0% clipped dark

Colour

0% vivid

Sharpness

5.51

Notes

Colour profile Adobe RGB (1998), converted to sRGB for the screen and the print
Neutrals lean warm (yellow): the paper and varnish of the original, kept as scanned

Shipping for this piece to a US address is $25.90, the print room’s own rate, charged per piece. Checkout shows the total before you pay.

Every piece is printed after you order it, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and ships from there. For now we ship to US addresses only.

A piece that arrives damaged, misprinted or in the wrong size is replaced at our cost. The details: shipping and returns and replacements.