The Pontifex Maximus is our first fountain pen model. In Latin, Pontifex means "bridge-builder". Made in Belgium from Japanese ebonite and featuring a "Japanese eyedropper" filling system, this oversized fountain pen is a well balanced writing instrument and offers a generous canvas for urushi and maki-e artwork.
On this prototype – the first fountain pen to combine lace and urushi in the world – certified antique hand-made lace from Bruges is applied and lacquered with 100% urushi from Japan combining the negoro and tamenuri methods.
Top urushi layers are burnished to make the underlying and differently colored layers appear so as to reveal the lace pattern, therefore the pen reminds us of the negoro style. The use of lace, in this case pure linen, is reminiscent of the nuno-bari method – in which fabric is lacquered and intentionally left visible. Here the result conveys an ancient and yet timeless atmosphere. Our combination of lace and urushi lacquer brings into being a timeless, refined and tactile combination of Western and Japanese arts & crafts. See specification below.
SPECIFICATION
METHOD. Lace negoro tamenuri.
MATERIAL. Certified antique hand-made "Duchesse" lace from Bruges
& 100% urushi on ebonite.
FILLING SYSTEM. Japanese Eyedropper (3,5 ml ink capacity).
NIB. #8 18k Gold Bock nib.
DIMENSIONS. Closed length : 152 mm.
Barrel length (incl. nib) : 142 mm.
Barrel diameter : 16 mm.
Cap diameter : 19 mm.