The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2024 - Issue 35

bitepen striking writing instruments reminiscent of his paintings. The carefully chosen colours reflect his favoured hues, add- ing an extra layer of authenticity to the homage. The exclusive limited edition produces the intricately and beautifully craft- ed 4810 Fountain Pen M, Rollerball, 888 Fountain Pen, 161 Fountain Pen, and 97 Fountain Pen. The 4810 Fountain Pen and Rollerball celebrates Klimt’s ar- tistic beginnings in the Vienna Secession and highlights el- ements from masterpieces Pallas Athene and The Kiss in its design. Rebellious against stereotypical concepts in art and society, Klimt fused realistic representation, ornamentation, and abstraction in a style that culminated in his large format, subtly sensual paintings of women. One was a portrait of his partner and muse Emilie Flöge, depicted in a dreamy, almost mystical blue. Inspired by The Kiss, in which two lovers seem to dissolve into ornamental, geometric forms through the power of emotion, the circles, swirls, triangles, and lines shimmer through the writing instrument’s translucent dark-blue lacquer. The blue lacquer and yellow gold-coated hammered metal on the cap and barrel reference the complementary colours in Klimt’s Golden Phase (1901-1909), including the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, the Stoclet Frieze and The Kiss. The yellow gold-coated hammered cone is set with a synthet- ic green spinel to evoke the colour of spring, the season of new beginnings. The specially designed pen clip references Pallas Athene , who is based on the goddess of warfare and the arts depicted launching the struggle for artistic freedom in the painting. Its slightly curved lines end in three spirals on the yellow gold-coated clip, corresponding to the forged metal frame decoration. An owl, symbolising knowledge, wisdom and insight and considered the Greek goddess Athena’s faithful companion animal, is finely engraved on the handcrafted solid Au 750 yellow gold nib. The engraving also references Pallas Athene and the Secession building, whose side facades are decorat- ed with owl sculptures. The exhibition hall was completed in 1898 by Joseph Maria Olbrich as an architectural manifesto to the Vienna Secession for rebel artists who seceded from the long-established fine art institution. Klimt’s three-sided Beethoven Frieze painting, inspired by the German composer’s Ninth Symphony, reflects man’s al- legorical search for happiness and meaning. Montblanc used this reference to create the 888 Fountain Pen, designed with a relief-like solid Au 750 yellow gold overlay on the cap. Spi- rals and vertical lines symbolise the strings of a lyre. The two-dimensional lines representing the Secession building’s facade reliefs shine against the matt background of the plati- num-coated cap and barrel. The cone interlay is enriched by a green malachite cabochon evoking spring. In recognition of the artist’s achievements for the Vienna Secession, the solid Au 750 gold inlay on the bar- rel bears his Secession monogram with the initials GK. Like the 4810, the clip is specially designed to reference the Pallas Athene painting. At the same time, the slightly curved lines ending in three spirals on the partly platinum-coated, partly yellow gold-coated clip correspond to the decoration on the forged metal frame. Montblanc referenced The Kiss and Klimt’s love for Japanese art and culture to produce the exquisite 161 Fountain Pen. The ornamentation from this painting inspired the engrav- ings on the solid Au 750 rose gold cone, and one part of the Ag 925 sterling silver cap, which the two lovers embraced in a kiss, is skilfully engraved. His admiration for Japanese lac- quering techniques, the decorative gold-adorned works of the Rinpa school, Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Japanese ceramics, and Noh masks influenced his work. The Ag 925 sterling silver and solid Au 750 gold interlay is en- riched by a green aventurine cabochon on the cone. Like the 4810, the curved lines on the clip end in three spirals depict the decoration on the forged metal frame of the Pallas Athene painting. The spiral ornamentation motif on Mycenaean gold jewellery refers to the goddess’ Greek homeland. At the top of the cap in a solid Au 750 rose gold setting, the Montblanc em- blem in mother-of-pearl commemorates the founders’ vision. Handcrafted in solid Au 750 gold nib, the 161 Fountain Pen is adorned with an artistic decoration of curved lines and spirals referencing the geometric language used in many of Klimt’s works. The Phi sign entwined within the pattern on the nib, taken from the Tree of Life painting, part of the Stoclet Frieze completed in 1909, symbolises the irrational number 1.61 with its infinite decimal places. It designates the proportions of the golden ratio, which influences many of the world’s ar- tistic masterpieces. The 97 Fountain Pen’s solid Au 750 yellow gold decoration transitions into a graphic mosaic of white agate and black onyx at the cone. Its pattern is borrowed from the Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I and the Stoclet Frieze ornamentation. Its cone ends in green chrysoprase cabochon is the same hue symbolising the Secession’s founding in April 1897. The pen’s solid Au 750 yellow gold inlay on the barrel also bears the artist’s Secession monogram with his initials. Like a jewellery piece, the writing instrument is adorned with a brilliant-cut diamond on the three clip spirals. Klimt’s swirls, which form the branches in his painting Tree of Life, inspired the engraving on the solid Au 750 yellow gold fore- part. At the same time, the handcrafted solid Au 750 yellow gold, partly rhodium-coated nib is finely inscribed with an owl. With 4810 engraved, the nib references the height of Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s highest mountain, embodying the three Montblanc founders’ aspirations. In addition to the five limited edition writing instruments, a notebook with a gold-coloured cover decorated with ge- ometric shapes and deep blue ink presented in a signature Montblanc glass ink bottle completes the writing experience. The brand has also introduced a set of round cufflinks in gold-coated hammered metal inspired by the great master’s use of gold. The New Masters of Art Gustav Klimt collection is available online on Montblanc’s website. www.montblanc.com/en-gb/discover/campaign/masters-of- art-gustav-klimt