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.