Pen World V28.1
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DECEMBER 2014 The Universe of Writing Culture enjoy the knight life with Phoenix Lacquer Art Le Chronopassion: watch- inspired pen from team Edelberg shop our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide
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Pen World
Transcript of Pen World V28.1
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$6.95US $7.95CAN
DECEMBER 2014
The Universe of Writing Culture
enjoy the
knight lifewith Phoenix Lacquer Art
Le Chronopassion:
watch-inspiredpen from team Edelberg
shop our 2014
Holiday Gift Guide
PowerToThePen.com/MR
The MR Animal Collection adds a touch of the exotic to every word. Impeccable craftsmanship with a stainless steel nib re ects your professional side while an array of accent prints unleash your inner animal. It’s a striking value at $18.75.
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knights to rememberRevisit the days of King Arthur with a newcollection from Phoenix Lacquer Art.
make your listand check it twice. Shop our Holiday Gift Guide!
made in VermontSolid metal handcrafted pens come fromEnosburg Falls, Vermont.
fashion meets passionEdelberg teams up with Chronopassion’sLaurent Picciotto.
pen of choiceOne man’s love affair with Paper Mate—oris it Papermate? or Paper-Mate?
go-to guyWhen it comes to vintage pens, GaryLehrer is on the short list of go-to guys.
the best intentionsThings don’t always go as planned whenpushing the boundaries of pen technology.
VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1ON OUR COVER:Knights of the Round Tableby Phoenix Lacquer Art
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departmentsWHAT’S HOT NOW
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viewin the spirit
mail our readers speak
newspeople, places and events
now new pens and other products
date mark your calendar
strokeJake Weidmann
shopParadise Pen
getting startedWhat’s a lefty to do?
pageMontblanc Collectible Stars I
networkclassified advertising
source guide to products and services
imhoThe Greatest Gift98
MEISTERSTÜCK pushknob filler I 1935-1940 MEISTERSTÜCK Stoßfüller I
a. 122k b.122k c.122KPL d.122G e.122P f.124S g.124PL h.124PL i.124P j.124E k.124 l.124 m.124
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Amagazine editor’s life is livedin advance. We began work onthis holiday issue three
months before it will mail out; by thetime you receive it, our February issuewill be well on its way to completion.If you did the math, you noticed thatwith six issues a year and a prepara-tion period of three months, we’re alsoworking on more than one issue atonce. It can be confusing: sometimes Ifeel I’ve already lived a holiday or anevent before it arrives.
I have to make a conscious effortto slow down if I want to savor theholiday itself—and not just the prepa-ration that leads up to it. I’ve been inthe holiday spirit now for a long time,and now I’m ready to just savor. Are you?
The exquisite Knights of theRound Table pen you see on our coveris only one in a fabulous set fromPhoenix Lacquer Art, theNetherlands-based company that spe-cializes in Russian miniature painting.The entire set comprises nine pens,each of which tells a story fromArthurian legend through the impec-
cably detailed hand-painting. Read allabout them in our story “Knights toRemember.”
David Bowen gives the scoop onthe recently established Vermont Penin his story “An American Original”and we report on a new pen by theSwiss maker Edelberg, designed in col-laboration with Laurent Picciotto, atrendsetter in the world of watches.Read about this collaboration and theresulting pen in “Watch Out!”
Aspiring calligraphers will findinspiration in Deborah Basel’s profileof Jake Weidmann, the youngest per-son to earn IAMPETH’s master pen-man designation. Lefthanded writerswill no doubt see themselves inNicky Pessaroff ’s witty “We Are theTen Percent.” Nicky also profilesParadise Pen, which, as a chainretailer, occupies a unique place inthe U.S. penscape.
Collectors will enjoy JeffreyScheuer’s article on the Paper Matesof the past, Barry Gabay’s review ofRösler and Wallrafen’s new CollectibleStars I, Julian H. Kreeger’s profile ofvintage pen dealer Gary Lehrer and
Richard Binder’s thoughts on twopens from the recent past that missedthe mark.
A substantial chunk of this issue isdevoted to our Holiday Gift Guide,where you’ll find plenty of holidaycandy—eye candy, that is, includingpens and other items we thoughtwould be of special interest to PWreaders. Enjoy choosing gifts for yourloved ones!
Greg Moore ends the issue on justthe right note with his IMHO submis-sion “The Greatest Gift.” If you canread it and not be touched, then I pro-nounce you a Scrooge indeed. Justremember there’s hope for you—Scrooge comes around in the end, tobecome the most joyful and generousamong Christmas celebrants.
However you choose to celebratethe holidays, we wish you a heart fullof merriment, the warmth of familyand friends, and joy that lasts allyear round.
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SpiritIn the
King Arthur and his Knights ofthe Round Table have stokedthe imaginations and creative
powers of artists since the earliestpublications of the Arthurian legendsappeared around the twelfth century.And now, in the twenty-first century,Phoenix Lacquer Art has created a setof pens inspired by the knights andtheir heroic deeds. Only three sets—and they will be sold only as sets—areavailable of the meticulously hand-painted pens.
Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morted’Arthur—based on earlier works bythe priest and historian Geoffrey ofMonmouth and the Norman poetMaistre—is considered the standard“history” of the court. The romanceepics of the knights are largely attrib-uted to Chrétien de Troyes, but theArthurian stories come from an abun-dance of sources, ranging from Celtic,Welsh and Irish, to French and
German. Each emphasized differentaspects of the legends and charactersas befitted their differing cultures.While the tales and character namesvary, the basic story remains.
Arthur, the illegitimate son of theking of Britain, is raised by a noble-man as squire to his knighted son.Arthur is recognized as the rightfulheir to the throne when he removes asword that has been imbedded instone. Under the tutelage of the courtmagician, Merlin, he initiates a reignof chivalry that redefines the role ofa knight.
After finding his queen,Guinevere, Arthur establishes hisOrder of the Round Table, attracting,supposedly, the greatest knights of therealm. Probably the best known of theRound Table was Lancelot, whosealleged adultery with Guinevere wouldbring about the end of the reign andlife of King Arthur.
Through the shattered order,however, the quests and adventures ofthe Knights of the Round Table con-tinued, siring influences that havepassed through the centuries andremain with us today. The concept ofa just realm, where “right was might”and knights nobly served their kingand their fellow man, have as muchappeal today as ever.
The Arthurian influence can beobserved in our culture from the obvi-ous—in Malory, Mark Twain and JohnSteinbeck—to more subtle presenta-tions in the work of numerous con-temporary authors the likes of J. K.Rowling, Robert Jordan and StephenKing. Even Steven Spielberg acknowl-edged that his famed relic-pursuingarcheologist was an apt “grail knight”(a knight who has taken up the questto find the holy grail, which is some-times identified as a chalice holdingthe blood of Jesus) in Indiana Jones
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Knights to Remember
from Phoenix Lacquer ArtBY JOHN CHANDLER
and the Last Crusade. The Kennedy-era WhiteHouse’s identification with the Camelot of theLerner and Loewe musical remains today.Richard Wagner’s operas Parsifal and Tristanand Isolde are based on Round Table legends.There could certainly be no question of thebasis for Monty Python and the Holy Grail orits musical cousin, Spamalot. From the sub-lime to the humorous, the hold exerted on usby King Arthur and his Knights of the RoundTable is unlikely to diminish.
The Knights of the Round Table set ofpens produced by the artists of PhoenixLacquer Art bear the images of King Arthur,nine Knights of the Round Table and some oftheir respective lady loves. Phoenix LacquerArt, based in Amsterdam, has specialized inpens decorated in the Russian miniature arttraditions since its inception in 2010 as an off-shoot of the Inna Kaufman Gallery. Kaufman,whose work up until that time involved thecreation of museum-quality objets d’art,including intricately hand-painted lacqueredboxes, had developed relationships with someof the finest artists of the Russian schools.After facilitating requests from other compa-nies for artists to create hand-painted pens,she determined to create her own line of pens,and Phoenix Lacquer Art was born.
Visconti produces an exclusive power-filler pen for the company—large, to provide abigger canvas for the artists. The two-tonegold nib is a piece of art unto itself.
Kaufman and her creative crew have pro-duced exclusive limited editions and a fewone-of-a-kind pens. Building upon thestrengths of the various schools of Russiantraditional painting, Phoenix Lacquer Arthas produced pens with themes ranging frommyth, folklore, religion and nature, to histor-ical figures. The Knights of the Round Tableset is done in the style of the Palekh school.
Often noted for illustratingfolklore, myths and fairy tales,the Palekh school is generallydistinguished by elongated fig-ures with golden embellish-ments against dark backgrounds.
The set consists of nine penswith the following themes.
King Arthur and GuinevereThese are the most central figuresin Arthurian lore. Arthur, son ofUther Pendragon, becomes king asa boy when he extracts a swordfrom a stone. In a marriagearranged to make a politicalalliance, Guinevere becomes hisqueen. Establishing his reign andthe Order of the Round Table, KingArthur redefines the role of knight-hood and initiates the quest for theHoly Grail. Although the kingdomfalls and the order is destroyed, thehope of Camelot lives on. On thispen, the royal couple are shownagainst the backdrop of an idyllicCamelot, while the cap bears an imageof the Lady of the Lake (see SirBedivere) with Excalibur, Arthur’s leg-endary sword.
Sir Percival and BlanchefleurRaised by his mother, Percival is keptfrom any knowledge of knighthood, buthis natural abilities as a knight bringhim to the Round Table and his belovedBlanchefleur. Percival is one of three grailknights who succeed in the quest for the HolyGrail. In some accounts he becomes “keeper”of the grail. The Percival and Blanchefleurpen features an image of the knight and, as hewas a grail knight, it also bears an image of
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King Arthur and Guinevere
Percival and Blanchefleur
A close look at the intricate detail on the nib.
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the Holy Grail vision. A long-ship indicates the journey hewill take on the quest, and animage of his lady, Blanchefleur,embellishes the cap.
Sir Lancelot and ElaineProbably the best known amongthe knights, Lancelot falls inlove with Guinevere, whobecomes Arthur’s queen. Hislove for Guinevere allows himto be seduced twice, as Elainefeigns being Guinevere andbears Lancelot a son. In someaccounts, Elaine drives Lancelotto insanity, but cures him bybringing him a vision of theHoly Grail. The son they sharegrows up to become SirGalahad, the greatest among thegrail knights. The Lancelot andElaine pen depicts the valiantknight engaging a fire-breathingdragon. The Lady Elaine,attended by several ladies, isseen on the cap of the pen, with
a castle in the distance.
Sir Gavin and the Green KnightSir Gavin, more commonly known as SirGawain, is one of King Arthur’s leading champi-ons. When a green-clad knight challenges thecourt, Gawain accepts his challenge and makesa compact with him that sets him on a quest.
Gawain beheads the Green Knight, who, aston-ishingly, retrieves his head and leaves, com-pelling Gawain to find his castle and completethe compact. The Gavin and the Green Knightpen shows a winding path going into the dis-tance towards a castle, Gavin with his helmetand the Green Knight holding his battle axe,with his lady beside him.
Sir Bors and Sir Lionel are brothers and are alsocousins of Sir Lancelot. Sir Bors adheres sodevoutly to chivalry that he opts to rescue amaiden in distress while his brother Sir Lionel iscaptured and tortured by a sadistic villain. SirLionel escapes, but is so filled with wrath againstthe brother who abandoned him that heattempts to kill Sir Bors, who refuses to defendhimself. Lionel kills a hermit and another knightbefore divine intervention forces him to relent.Sir Bors became one of the grail knights due tohis perseverance and succeeds in the quest. Onthe Bors and Lionel pen, Bors is shown under agrail vision, attended by a lady. A winding pathleads into the distance, again indicating thequest. His brother Lionel is portrayed on the capbeing captured by two knights.
Sir Gareth and LynetteGareth, the younger brother of Sir Gawain andof noble birth, follows his brother to Arthur’scourt but initially serves in the king’s kitchen athis mother’s request. After his mother gives herapproval and sends his armor and a letterexplaining his identity, he is knighted in secretby Lancelot. Lady Lynette comes to King Arthur
Lancelot andElaine
Gavin and the Green Knight
requesting that Sir Lancelot rescue her sister, Lyonors, who is being held captive in a castleguarded by four knights. Much to her dismay, Gareth, apparently a kitchen-boy, is given thequest. Gareth sets off, with Lynette mocking him through various trials, until he ultimatelydefeats all foes, winning Lyonors’s freedom and Lynette’s respect—and, of course, her heart.The Gareth and Lynette pen shows the youthful knight, the couple onhorseback on their journey and Lynette on a castle balcony.
Sir Geraint and EnidSir Geraint attempts to avenge an insult to one of QueenGuinevere’s ladies-in-waiting, who has been struck by the servantof a haughty young knight. Geraint rides to a village where anewly built fortress faces a crumbling castle and is unable to findlodging. He is welcomed into the old castle by its master, an earl,and his lovely daughter, Enid. Geraint is taken by Enid’s characteras much as her beauty and learns that her father’s wealth has beenstolen by the young knight whom he seeks. To face the knight in theannual tournament, he must fight in the name of his lady love.Geraint proclaims his love for Enid and she for him. In the tourna-ment he faces the young knight known as the Sparrow-Hawk andafter a prolonged trial defeats him. In victory he restores the earl’swealth, takes Enid to Camelot to wed and dispatches the Sparrow-Hawk to apologize to Guinevere, after which the Sparrow-Hawkrepents of his misdeeds and becomes a worthy knight of renown. TheGeraint and Enid pen bears images of the knight and his lady, the twoknights jousting and Enid holding the victor’s Sparrow-Hawk trophy.
Sir GalahadThe greatest of all knights and son of Lancelot, Sir Galahad undertakes thegrail quest as the knight designated to occupy the seat at the Round Tableknown as the Siege Perilous. Pure of heart, Galahad receives the Shield ofthe Red Cross on his quest only fifteen days after being knighted. The onlyknight reputed to have bested Lancelot in a joust, he comes to the aid of SirPercival against an overwhelming force before journeying with Sir Bors andSir Percival on the grail quest. The three knights travel to the city of Sarras,believed to have been in Babylon, where, after being imprisoned for a yearand after the death of the ruling king, they are released. At the bidding of anethereal voice, Galahad is made king and with Bors and Percival receives theperfect vision of the Holy Grail, at which point his soul leaves his body andenters directly into Heaven. On the Galahad pen, you can see an image of theHoly Grail and a lady, Sir Percival’s sister, bearing a sword. This may be a refer-ence to the tale of Galahad arriving at Camelot sans sword or shield. He receivesa sword via a boulder in the middle of the river. Sound familiar?
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Gareth andLynette
Geraint and Enid
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Sir BedivereA companion and cupbearer of King Arthur, Sir Bedivereundertakes heroic exploits with the king and Sir Kay, and isthe last surviving knight of King Arthur’s final battle.Bedivere is charged by the dying king to cast the swordExcalibur back into the lake. After failing twice to carry outhis charge, he casts the sword over the water only to see thearm of the Lady of the Lake retrieve it and bear it under thewaves. Upon hearing the report of this, Arthur dies andBedivere shortly thereafter leaves the order of knights andenters a hermitage until his death. On his pen, Bediverestands, spear in hand, surveying the swords and shields ofthe fallen from Arthur’s final battle. The Lady of the Lake isshown on a vessel gliding upon the waves, near a sword inthe water.
The Phoenix Lacquer Art Knights of the Round Tablecollection incorporates images of knights, ladies, damsels,horses, swords, shields, wild game, ships, dragons and theHoly Grail—a collection that will definitely provide many“knights” to remember.
Visit phoenixlacquerart.com.
JOHN CHANDLER is a contributing editor of PW, residingin Houston, Texas.
Galahad
The lid of the chest that holds the set of pens is decorated in the same style of thepens and by the same artists.
Bedivere
Bors and Lionel
PowerToThePen.com/MR
The MR Animal Collection adds a touch of the exotic to every word. Impeccable craftsmanship with a stainless steel nib re ects your professional side while an array of accent prints unleash your inner animal. It’s a striking value at $18.75.
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