Maki-e series “Peacock”

Description

Peacock

Maki-e is the art of Japanese lacquer painting and is renowned for its beauty and artistry. This distinctive and unique fountain pen was crafted and drawn using the Kaga-Togidashi-Maki-e technique.
The peacock is considered as one of the most beautiful birds in the world for its exceptionally beautiful and vibrant feathers when it spreads the wings. Surprisingly peacocks eat poisonous plants and bugs without being affected by them. So, people started to recognize that the peacock is a useful and beneficial bird for them. Later, peacocks were considered as a lucky symbol with the ability to prevent people from suffering and pain.
The first step to create this Peacock Maki-e fountain pen was to give the surface a deep black impression using Japanese Urushi lacquer. Then the Maki-e artist inlayed the blue stripes of mother of pearl, surrounded by many small pieces of Kinhirame (flattened gold grains). In the next step, gold and silver powder was sprinkled all over the pen. After drying, the artist drew the colorful feathers in detail, using various colored Urushi lacquers. Afterwards, the surface was carefully polished.

Maki-e is a tradition-steeped, artistic craftsmanship in Japan, in which delicate patterns are sprinkled onto objects of all kinds. Using specially prepared Urushi lacquer – which is won from the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree – and different precious metal powders, filigree motifs are created in a very time-consuming process. The mastery of the artistic craftsmanship of Maki-e and its numerous techniques requires many years of intensive training.
Each Pelikan Maki-e fountain pen is a hand-made, unique piece of art – built for eternity. The material properties of the applied lacquers are unique. Despite its solid consistency, the hardened lacquer maintains a lot of its elasticity, which makes it durably resistant to cracking. This way, a Pelikan Maki-e fountain pen preserves the richness of its details, even after many years.
The “Peacock” is a masterpiece that combines the craftsmanship of Pelikan Germany based on 180 years of tradition and technology coupled with superior Japanese traditional Maki-e painting techniques. Each fountain pen has the Pelikan logo on the crown, a limited edition number and the artist’s signature drawn in by hand using Maki-e techniques. This series is limited to an edition of 111 pieces worldwide. Each fountain pen is equipped with an 18 carat, two-tone gold nib and is encased in a traditional Japanese pen box made of paulownia wood.