A SET OF "IMPERIAL DRAGON" PENS, BY MONTBLANC

This lot is offered without reserve.

Writing implements have witnessed many of the great achievements in history, from Prehistoric cave wall drawing and Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. From the earliest tools of flintstone and clay pigment, to beautiful functional objects, the tradition of creating writing instruments continues to evolve. Fountain pens, handmade by Waterman, were invented in the late 1800s in the spirit of the Industrial Revolution. Soon, this utilitarian tool was enhanced by ornate decoration. In 1918, a man named Ryosuke Namiki began manufacturing gold nibs in Tokyo. Soon after, he had the idea to manufacture fountain pens enhanced by lacquer, a traditional Japanese art form. These elegant, unusual pens took several months to be produced because of the labor intensive lacquer process called Maki-é. In 1930, Namiki formed an alliance with Alfred Dunhill and began to be retailed in Europe and the U.S. Christie's is pleased to offer an excellent assortment of contemporary examples. Visconti, Montblanc and Krone have refined the fountain pen into functional works of art. THE PROPERTY OF A GERMAN COLLECTOR

Details

A SET OF "IMPERIAL DRAGON" PENS, BY MONTBLANC
Comprising a black resin fountain pen with etched sterling silver trim, the sculpted sterling silver dragon forming the clip, with circular-cut ruby eyes, the cap signed "Imperial Dragon" in white, the 18k gold nib inlaid with an etched dragon head; and a ballpoint pen en suite, fountain pen 5¾ ins. long, ballpoint 5½ ins. long, each in its original Montblanc fitted case and box, accompanied by documentation
Each signed Montblanc, nos. 2356/5000, 2378/3500 (2)

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Further details

This pen set was created to celebrate the Imperial Dragon, a mythical creature revered throughout the Orient for centuries and an inspiration for many renowned authors

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