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Lot 1152
DUNHILL-NAMIKI: Motorities Gold Dust, Solid Gold Inlay and Mother-of-Pearl Emperor Maki-e Limited Edition 25 Fountain Pen
16 June 2015, 10:00 PDT
San FranciscoUS$40,000 - US$60,000
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DUNHILL-NAMIKI: Motorities Gold Dust, Solid Gold Inlay and Mother-of-Pearl Emperor Maki-e Limited Edition 25 Fountain Pen
Namiki's most iconic pen of the modern era. The design, by maki-e master Masato Sato, incorporates wheels and flames in honor of Dunhill's original line of "Dunhill Motorities" automobile accessories from the early 1900s, and it embodies all of the racy, Gatsbyesque glamour of the golden age of motoring. An instant success upon release, the entire limitation of 25 examples quickly vanished into private hands and now it seldom appears for sale below six figures.
The glossy black urushi barrel and cap are dusted with fine gold and silver power, inlaid with solid gold wheels and radiant mother-of-pearl accents, and emblazoned with fiery motifs emblematic of power and speed. Unmistakably a work of art and one of the most coveted modern writing instruments, this pen's creation required six months of careful work, and it remains an aesthetic milestone unlikely to be matched.
In his excellent book The Four Seasons of Namiki, Christophe Larquemin describes this pen's genesis and its place in the pantheon of modern limited Namikis, writing with admiration of the pen's synthesis of modern and classical elements. His summing up is worth citing in full:
"...This innovative pen is faithful to the art of the lacquer masters of the Kokkokai school in every way that matters. It features numerous complex techniques and presents similarities to vintage models, as witnessed by the decor on the top of the cap, for example. Its theme, the wheel, is in the purest Japanese tradition: the wheel of fortune, of wedding carriages, of life, which in Buddhism symbolizes reincarnation and the transience of all things. The wheel gives its name, rin, to the sun, nichi-rin, and to the moon, gachi-rin. But, more prosaically, the wheel here also hearkens back to Dunhill's origins as a manufacturer of motoring accessories."
Emperor size (175mm with cap in place). Eyedropper filler. 18K gold nib engraved with flame motif, size not indicated, appears medium, large #50 size, has been inked. Lacquered wood display box with golden metal plate, eyedropper, luxurious leather pen sleeve, booklet, certificate of authenticity signed by Richard Dunhill and Masato Sato. Limited Edition: 14/25.
The glossy black urushi barrel and cap are dusted with fine gold and silver power, inlaid with solid gold wheels and radiant mother-of-pearl accents, and emblazoned with fiery motifs emblematic of power and speed. Unmistakably a work of art and one of the most coveted modern writing instruments, this pen's creation required six months of careful work, and it remains an aesthetic milestone unlikely to be matched.
In his excellent book The Four Seasons of Namiki, Christophe Larquemin describes this pen's genesis and its place in the pantheon of modern limited Namikis, writing with admiration of the pen's synthesis of modern and classical elements. His summing up is worth citing in full:
"...This innovative pen is faithful to the art of the lacquer masters of the Kokkokai school in every way that matters. It features numerous complex techniques and presents similarities to vintage models, as witnessed by the decor on the top of the cap, for example. Its theme, the wheel, is in the purest Japanese tradition: the wheel of fortune, of wedding carriages, of life, which in Buddhism symbolizes reincarnation and the transience of all things. The wheel gives its name, rin, to the sun, nichi-rin, and to the moon, gachi-rin. But, more prosaically, the wheel here also hearkens back to Dunhill's origins as a manufacturer of motoring accessories."
Emperor size (175mm with cap in place). Eyedropper filler. 18K gold nib engraved with flame motif, size not indicated, appears medium, large #50 size, has been inked. Lacquered wood display box with golden metal plate, eyedropper, luxurious leather pen sleeve, booklet, certificate of authenticity signed by Richard Dunhill and Masato Sato. Limited Edition: 14/25.