Masters of Art Homage to Pierre-Auguste Renoir Limited Edition 161 Fountain Pen
Great artists throughout history have expressed the human experience in a universal language of form and beauty. The Montblanc Masters of Art Collection honors their eternal contribution to the quest for perfection in art – a quest Montblanc both celebrates and participates in. Pierre-Auguste Renoir is one of the most prominent forerunners of modernism, whose sun-drenched paintings helped set the tone for an entire movement: Impressionism. In tribute to this important pioneer of French art and the masterpieces (such as Dance at the Moulin de la Galette from 1876 and Luncheon of the Boating Party from 1881) of his so-called ‘période nacrée’ – the pearly period – Montblanc has created the Masters of Art Homage to Pierre-Auguste Renoir Limited Edition 161. The shimmer, like mother-of-pearl, of this ‘pearly period’ is echoed in the unconventional choice of materials for this limited edition: made of solid Au 750 gold and Ag 925 sterling silver, paired with inlays of mother-of-pearl, itself formed layer upon layer beneath the ocean waves. The resulting structure, each layer refracting the light to create an iridescent play of colours, gives mother-of-pearl a remarkable hardness and aesthetic appeal – properties which made it one of the most fascinating materials for jewellers of the Belle Époque. One of the works of Renoir’s ‘pearly period’ is the Woman with a Hat, completed in 1891. Wearing a jaunty, sweeping brimmed hat the young woman appears absorbed, perhaps in a melody, echoing the masterful composition of colours Renoir uses in this portrait: her delicate features, the slightly blurred background or the white of her frilled blouse shifting from bright accents of silver to a darker gold and delicate purple hue. This colour palette is reflected throughout the writing instrument: in the mother-of-pearl Montblanc emblem set in the shimmering bluish-violet stripe chalcedony of the elaborately crafted cap top; in the solid Au 750 gold fittings and matchless three-dimensional relief in Ag 925 sterling silver on the cap; in the iridescence of the mother-of-pearl inlays on the barrel. The cap top ring, made of solid Au 750 gold, is engraved with the year 1888, marking the beginning of Renoir’s ‘pearly period’. An eye-catching feature is the platinum-coated clip in the form of two brushes, of the type used by Renoir to produce both the fine details as well as the more expansive surfaces which made up his masterpieces. As a tribute to Renoir’s drawing skills, a silverpoint tip made of soft Ag 925 sterling silver is integrated into the solid Au 750 gold cone, providing the means to create silverpoint sketches of one's own. Renoir used a combination of painting techniques during his ‘pearly period’ to create the motif of the Young Girls at the Piano. In order to emphasize the balance and aesthetic appeal of the scene, Renoir was guided by the principle of the golden ratio. This ‘divine proportion’ (1.618...), the promise of perfect beauty by mathematical means, is found both in nature and in the composition of many of the world’s most admired artworks – and also describes the ratio of cap to barrel size in the Masters of Art collector’s line. This key to harmony is depicted by the Greek letter Phi which graces the partly rhodium-coated, handcrafted, solid Au 750 gold nib and is framed by delicate bouquets of flowers, so often a feature of Renoir’s most important works. In reference to the golden ratio, which underlies the harmonious composition of many of his masterpieces, the Masters of Art Homage to Pierre-Auguste Renoir Limited Edition is limited to 161 pieces.
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Great artists throughout history have expressed the human experience in a universal language of form and beauty. The Montblanc Masters of Art Collection honors their eternal contribution to the quest for perfection in art – a quest Montblanc both celebrates and participates in. Pierre-Auguste Renoir is one of the most prominent forerunners of modernism, whose sun-drenched paintings helped set the tone for an entire movement: Impressionism. In tribute to this important pioneer of French art and the masterpieces (such as Dance at the Moulin de la Galette from 1876 and Luncheon of the Boating Party from 1881) of his so-called ‘période nacrée’ – the pearly period – Montblanc has created the Masters of Art Homage to Pierre-Auguste Renoir Limited Edition 161. The shimmer, like mother-of-pearl, of this ‘pearly period’ is echoed in the unconventional choice of materials for this limited edition: made of solid Au 750 gold and Ag 925 sterling silver, paired with inlays of mother-of-pearl, itself formed layer upon layer beneath the ocean waves. The resulting structure, each layer refracting the light to create an iridescent play of colours, gives mother-of-pearl a remarkable hardness and aesthetic appeal – properties which made it one of the most fascinating materials for jewellers of the Belle Époque. One of the works of Renoir’s ‘pearly period’ is the Woman with a Hat, completed in 1891. Wearing a jaunty, sweeping brimmed hat the young woman appears absorbed, perhaps in a melody, echoing the masterful composition of colours Renoir uses in this portrait: her delicate features, the slightly blurred background or the white of her frilled blouse shifting from bright accents of silver to a darker gold and delicate purple hue. This colour palette is reflected throughout the writing instrument: in the mother-of-pearl Montblanc emblem set in the shimmering bluish-violet stripe chalcedony of the elaborately crafted cap top; in the solid Au 750 gold fittings and matchless three-dimensional relief in Ag 925 sterling silver on the cap; in the iridescence of the mother-of-pearl inlays on the barrel. The cap top ring, made of solid Au 750 gold, is engraved with the year 1888, marking the beginning of Renoir’s ‘pearly period’. An eye-catching feature is the platinum-coated clip in the form of two brushes, of the type used by Renoir to produce both the fine details as well as the more expansive surfaces which made up his masterpieces. As a tribute to Renoir’s drawing skills, a silverpoint tip made of soft Ag 925 sterling silver is integrated into the solid Au 750 gold cone, providing the means to create silverpoint sketches of one's own. Renoir used a combination of painting techniques during his ‘pearly period’ to create the motif of the Young Girls at the Piano. In order to emphasize the balance and aesthetic appeal of the scene, Renoir was guided by the principle of the golden ratio. This ‘divine proportion’ (1.618...), the promise of perfect beauty by mathematical means, is found both in nature and in the composition of many of the world’s most admired artworks – and also describes the ratio of cap to barrel size in the Masters of Art collector’s line. This key to harmony is depicted by the Greek letter Phi which graces the partly rhodium-coated, handcrafted, solid Au 750 gold nib and is framed by delicate bouquets of flowers, so often a feature of Renoir’s most important works. In reference to the golden ratio, which underlies the harmonious composition of many of his masterpieces, the Masters of Art Homage to Pierre-Auguste Renoir Limited Edition is limited to 161 pieces.
Ident No. MB132057