Montblanc has been paying tribute to important figures in history for a long time now, and they did it with impeccable taste and exquisite craftsmanshipevery time. Their latest limited edition creation is part of the 2013 Writers Edition and it is dedicated to fabled French writer Honoré De Balzac.
The famous playwright and novelist knew how to capture the fascinating 19th century French society in his literary works with precision and incredible attention to detail. This special edition collection pays tribute to his extraordinary talent with a fountain pen, ballpoint pen, rollerball pen, and mechanical pencil.
Reflecting Balzac’s rigorous attention to seemingly unimportant yet very relevant details, the fountain pen is a masterpiece among writing instruments. Everything about this piece is symbolic of something. Its oversized design, for instance, evokes the stature of the writer. Then there are the three gold and platinum plated rings around the pen, each one with a slightly more elaborate design than the previous one, topping with a highly decorated one on the upper side of the cap. These illustrate the different French social classes which Balzac described throughout his works.
Another significant detail is that of the turquoise lacquering on the clip, which evokes the author’s highly decorated walking stick. Finally, the golden nib with rhodium plating was laser-etched with the initials HB in a very decorative manner. All these remarkable features translate into quite a hefty price tag of £680 (approx. $1,000), VAT included.
