Montblanc has created a limited edition of pens inspired by the art of Van Gogh

Montblanc, the famous luxury pen manufacturer, unveils a new collection dedicated to history’s greatest artists: entitled Masters of Art, it begins with a line of pens dedicated to Vincent van Gogh. This collection takes over from the Patron of Art collection, which has reached its final chapter after 30 years. In fact, the Maison has decided to shift its focus from patrons to artists, dedicating the new limited edition series to a variety of artists from disciplines ranging from painting and sculpture to design and architecture, spanning the ages: from the Renaissance to the Baroque to Impressionism and beyond. The proportions of all the writing instruments in the collection are inspired by the golden section, which corresponds to the number 1.61 (phi), will be featured in the first Limited Edition on Van Gogh, which consists of only 161 pieces, and will be featured in all future Masters of Art collections. Each Limited Edition 161 bears the embossing of the phi symbol on the handcrafted Au 750 solid gold nib.

Van Gogh joins the Masters of Art collection with five limited edition pens that pay homage to different stages of his personal and artistic journey. The designs are inspired by some of his best-known works and recall his unmistakable signature style. The Maison collaborated with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to ensure that the Masters of Art Homage to Vincent van Gogh limited editions are in line with the information the museum holds about the artist’s life and work. The Van Gogh Museum, the most important and influential institution dedicated to Vincent van Gogh, aims to protect the Dutch painter’s cultural legacy. The museum houses the largest collection of van Gogh’s works in the world, including more than 200 paintings, nearly 500 drawings and more than 700 letters. The Van Gogh Museum, which celebrates its ^50th year in 2023, continues to inspire countless fans through the life and work of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries.

There are five pens: the first, Masters of Art Homage to Vincent van Gogh Limited Edition 4810 (€3,280) celebrates Vincent van Gogh’s time spent in Arles with details that recall the wheat fields of Provence and one of his most famous paintings, The Sunflowers. The body of the pen, decorated in shades of yellow and orange, recalls the southern French scenery reproduced in the artist’s works. This period imbued with luminosity is also reflected in the orange lacquer used for the “Vincent” signature engraved on the platinum-finish ring of the pen’s body. Next to it, the engraving “1888” refers to the year he moved to Arles. During the same period, he created the famous series of five paintings dedicated to sunflowers, reproduced in the embossed interpretation on the handmade rhodium-finished Au 750 solid gold nib. The spatula used by van Gogh inspired the platinum-finished clip, while his brushstrokes are immortalized in the yellow lacquer used on the top of the cap. The passion for the pipe, present in many of his self-portraits, is represented by a delicate detail on the clip: the shape of the back, lacquered in fine yellow resin, resembles the stove of a pipe. The perspective frame used by Van Gogh (a wooden frame crossed by strings that represented the convergence of perspective lines toward a central vanishing point) inspired the shape of the top of this edition’s cap, while the engravings on the trim are inspired by the screws that held the frame together. The hood of this edition is made of hornbeam wood, a nod to Van Gogh’s admiration for Japanese art. The carving knife used in Japan to make woodcut prints, called hangi-to, inspired the shape of the pen instead. Before turning to painting, Vincent van Gogh worked as a lay preacher among the miners of the Borinage: the importance this humble community exerted on his artistic aspirations is expressed in the “Borinage” engraving on the top of the cap, crowned by the yellow resin Montblanc emblem.

The Masters of Art Homage to Vincent van Gogh Limited Edition 888 pen (€9,700) recalls the period he spent in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Auvers-sur-Oise, with details reminiscent of the skies of Provence and one of van Gogh’s most famous paintings, Wheatfield with Flight of Crows. The “Saint-Rémy” engraving on the cap reveals the setting of the new phase of the personal journey undertaken by the artist. The “1889” engraving on the body ring refers to the year of his move to Saint-Rémy, next to one of his blue-lacquered signatures. The blue skies of Provence and golden wheat fields are recalled by translucent lacquer inserts in different shades of blue and skeletonization in solid Au 750 yellow gold. Stars shining brightly in the night sky above the wheat fields are represented by the shimmering particles in the blue lacquer of the body and in the solid yellow gold Au 750 Montblanc emblem at the top of the cap, embedded in the blue lacquer. The embossed image in the solid Au 750 gold nib immortalizes the optimism expressed in the painting Almond Blossom Branch, a tribute to the birth of the grandson who bore the same name. The Japanese style of the painting recalls thehangi-to form. The palette knife used by the painter inspired the platinum-finish clip, while his impetuous brushstrokes are immortalized in the blue lacquer on the top of the cap.

Masters of Art Homage to Vincent van Gogh Limited Edition 161 (€28,200) recalls the artist’s final years, spent in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Auvers-sur-Oise, with details that recall, among others, his last work, Roots and Tree Trunks. The distinctive Au 750 solid gold body ring is engraved with van Gogh’s signature and “1890,” recalling the year he painted his last work, Roots and Tree Trunks. The Ag 925 sterling silver body is decorated with lacquered inserts inspired by the design and colors of Roots and Tree Trunks, depicting a group of trees with their roots exposed by erosion along a hillside. Similarly to other editions in the collection, the engraving on the pen at the front refers to the balls of yarn that van Gogh used to use to test color combinations, reflecting his passion for color theory. The top of the cap, on the other hand, echoes the triangular shape of the perspective frame subdivisions that helped the artist create realistic versions of landscapes and whose vines can be appreciated on the engravings on the trim. The painter’s many creative outbursts are symbolized by the facets of the blue lacquer that crown the top of the cap: embedded in this blue is the Montblanc emblem in the distinctive Au 750 solid gold, echoing the shining stars that often appear in the artist’s works.

The Masters of Art Homage to Vincent van Gogh Limited Edition 90 (€43,100) recalls his stay in Arles and recalls the Provence landscapes featured in his work The Harvest, an homage to his impasto technique. This technique is interpreted by hand in the decoration on the cap and body. Inspired by masterpieces such as The Harvest, the hand-crafted work uses the colors van Gogh employed for his views of Provence: warm yellows, bright oranges, and soothing greens. The “Arles” engraving on the top of the cap highlights the importance of this place to van Gogh. The Montblanc emblem in solid Au 750 yellow gold is set in a field of blue lacquer as one of Vincent’s bright stars (an image that recurs often in his works). The year he moved to Arles is commemorated in the engraving “1888” next to the signature “Vincent” on the cap ring. The silhouette of Limited Edition 90 is also inspired by the shape of the Japanese carving knife, reflecting a passion for traditional Japanese woodcut. The shape of the cone in solid Au 750 yellow gold is also reminiscent of the knife blade. The lacquer engraving surrounding the front, in blue and orange, recalls the balls of yarn used to test color combinations, underscoring his deep understanding of color theory. His love of color is also evident in his series of five paintings on the theme of sunflowers, used as inspiration for the embossing on the Au 750 solid yellow gold nib. The top of the cap is inspired by the triangular subdivision of the perspective frame.

Finally, Masters of Art Homage to Vincent van Gogh Limited Edition 8 (190,000 euros), limited to only 8 pieces, recalls the blue skies and brushstrokes that made Wheatfield with Flight of Crows a masterpiece. The preciousness of the sky is rendered with a blue lacquer on the cap and body in distinctive solid Au 750 gold; part of the body is also set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Embellishing it are swirl-shaped engravings that recall the movement of Vincent’s brush on the canvas. The sky-related iconography is also present on the top of the cap, where a hand-painted field in deep blue lacquer with an outline of brilliant-cut diamonds frames the Montblanc diamond in a distinctive solid Au 750 gold setting. The rhodium-finished Au 750 white gold cap pays homage to a love of nature with a complex hand-crafted inlay: composed of tiny fragments of mother-of-pearl, sycamore maple, liriodendron, beetle elytra, and straw, it recalls the golden wheat fields portrayed by Vincent. The sapphires, Paraiba tourmalines, and brilliant-cut diamonds distributed in the inlay are intended to give an added touch of luster. The artist’s close bond with his family, which is evident in the letter sent to his brother Theo on September 25, 1888, in which van Gogh celebrates his own ability to transform inspiration into new artistic works, is reflected on the pen with a quote from this letter hand-engraved on the Au 750 solid gold surface of the body and cone: "Le tableau me vient comme dans un rêve" (the painting appears to me as if in a dream).

The limited editions of the collection are accompanied by a selection of writing accessories: a notebook and a special ink. The notebook captures the sunny landscape of Wheatfield with Reaper, recreated with 3D printing to evoke the impasto technique used by van Gogh. The cover also bears van Gogh’s signature. The soothing color used in Almond Blossom Branch was the inspiration for theMontblanc turquoise ink. The collection is completed by cufflinks in fine steel, blue lacquer and sapphire glass, reminiscent of the bewitching skies often found in van Gogh’s works.

Pictured: the Masters of Art Homage to Vincent van Gogh Limited Edition 8

Montblanc has created a limited edition of pens inspired by the art of Van Gogh

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