The art of Maki-e holds a fascination for many Pentrace readers and over
the years we have examined many different aspects and techniques of this
Japanese form of decoration which dates back to the 8th Century. In general,
much of the maki-e work applied to fountain pens has featured intricate
renderings of wildlife, traditional Japanese scenes or flowers, but Classic
Pens have taken a unique approach by featuring aspects of French Polynesia
in honor of the late Marlon Brando in a new Limited Edition maki-e fountain
pen to be launched at the Washington DC Show in August.
Final Artist Proofs of the Brando Tahitian Maiden
Classic Pens recently signed an agreement with the Estate of Marlon Brando
to develop and market the maki-e design. Brando owned the tiny atoll
of Tetiaroa in French Polynesia -a place he held a great love for,
now the site of the Brando Hotel scheduled to open in 2008. The chosen
design shows a Tahitian Maiden in a wonderful image reminiscent of
a Gauguin painting, which employs the highest degree
of maki-e technique. The picture above shows the final artists proofs,
the design on the left was the one selected - with the random pearl inlay.
This will be the design of the Brando pen. The principle flower throughout
the design is the Tiara, the national flower of Tahiti and a favorite
of Brando. The Artist
used quail egg shell to create the Tiara flowers. The pearl inlay represents
refelctions of light in water. The other flowers on the barrel are water
lilies.
The Marlon Brando design will be available on two different pens and
the edition will comprise 100 pieces. Andreas Lambrou, President of Classic
Pens explains
"Classic Pens has joined forces with Parker, one of the most famous
Pen Manufacturers to produce the fountain pen models on which the Marlon
Brando Design will be created. The Edition will comprise 100 fountain
pens. Of these, 50 will be on, the Parker Duofold Centennial, in my opinion,
the most important and celebrated tradition in the history of the fountain
pen and its industry. The other 50 pieces will be created on the Classic
Pens first fountain pen model, the LP5."
MB149,
LP7, Pelikan M1000, Sailor King Profit
The pen models will have the prefix LP. Classic Pens have been experimenting
with an oversize pen which they call LP7. The candy stripe is one of
these LP7 prototypes and the photo shows comparison with the other three
main oversize pens on the market at present. They have a built in plastic
cap lip band in this prototype so that the Artist can continue the design
throughout the cap and barrel if he wishes. The main use of LP7 will
be Maki-E work.
LP5 rollerball/ballpen unit.
Classic Pens
created this self-contained LP5 rollerball/ballpen unit. Made out
of brass and gold plated, it will be given as a gift in the package
of the Brando
pen
and can replace the fountain pen front end to convert the LP5 into
a rollerball/ballpen. It takes the Parker gel refills.
Part of the barrel of the Brando design
The image above shows reflection of light in water represented
by pearl inlay. The flowers are water lilies. Again the white flowers
are the Tiara in quail egg shell.
Part of the cap design The red
flowers are hibiscus, the violet are passion flowers.
The final designs of LP5 (red marble) and LP7 (blue
marble) compared with the Duofold Centennial and MB149. For the LP
prototype pens, Sheaffer balance acrylics were used. In production
for Maki-E or
other applications, the appropriate materials will be used.. The
photo is for size comparison purposes. The nib on the LP7 will
be
the same size as that of the MB 149.
Map of French Polynesia
Classic Pens has committed to a donation for every pen
sold, to the organization "Te Mana O Te Moana" (Spirit of
the Ocean in Tahitian language), a non profit organization founded
on September
23, 2004 dedicated to the conservation, research, communication
and pedagogic activities related to Polynesian ecosystem.
Note :
With many Maki-E designs, Classic Pens experiment on different pen models.
This was done with the Brando Tahitian Maiden. Parts
of
the designs were cut so that the pen model cannot be identified but
it will give Pentracers
a good idea of the design. The final Artist Proofs on the Duofold and
the LP5 are actually being completed now and will be available at the
Washington DC Show.
The
launch of the Marlon Brando Maki-E pen will take place at the Washington
DC Show August 12-14, 2005.
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