The Mont Blanc Writers Edition is issued each year in a strictly limited edition worldwide, it pays tribute to the greatest icons of literary history. On the occasion of the 400
th Anniversary of his life’s achievements, Mont Blanc celebrates the revered English play writer poet and actor William Shakespeare, creator of many masterpieces such as Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth. A literary genius with magical words, Shakespeare penned over 150 sonnets and 37 plays, a treasure trove of verbal brilliance that has provided many expressions and nuggets of wisdom still integral to the English language and culture today.
The diversity and richness of Shakespeare’s work is honoured in the many details of the William Shakespeare Limited Edition, the resin cap takes in an octagonal shape reminiscent of the famous Globe Theatre’s structure. The shape is achieved by ensuring that the facts and edges are perfectly defined while never losing the highly polished surface of the resin. The cap of the writing instrument is octagonal and finishes in a cap top shaped like the ringed roof of the theatre. In the centre, where the yard and stage are open to the sky, the deeply set white Montblanc Emblem elegantly crowns the edition. The engraving on the Au 750 gold nib honours the Globe Theatre affectionately referred to the playwright as “wooden O”, depicting the multi-storey stage in the centre of this special universe he created for his audience.
The design of the Writers Edition William Shakespeare is inspired by the difference of Shakespeare’s plays ranging from dark tragedies to light comedies. The black and white precious resin combination on the cap and barrel recalls the colours of the flags that were raised above the theatre depending on the genre with white being comedy and black being tragedy. The body of the instrument is engraved with fine feather- like patterns that represent the quill pen Shakespeare use to write his many works. At the end of the clip, a golden ring represents the earring Shakespeare wore in Chandos portrait. The instrument is encircles with fold-plated embossed with symbols representing his seven most famous plays. A rose and dagger stands for
Romeo and Juliet, a skull for
Hamlet , two chess pieces for
King Lear, a crest for Henry V, a crown for
Macbeth, a swirling cloud for
The Tempest and a laurel wreath in the form of a ‘C’ for
Julius Caesar.
The collection is limited of 1597 pieces in reference to the year of his most important play “The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” was first published. The multi-coloured barrel is embellished with exquisite guilloche patterns evoking his quill overlaid with precious lacquer, contrasting with the cap crafted from pure black lacquer. The black and red are reference to the flags that flew above the theatre to inform audience of the genre being performed, red for historical drama and black for tragedy. The William Shakespeare Limited edition 1597 is decorated with Tudor design elements reminiscent of the era in which Shakespeare wrote most of his plays and the longstanding patronage of Queen Elizabeth I. The forepart of the fountain pen is engraved with his signature and the black resin cone features a Tudor at its base, the badge favoured by Queen Elizabeth I. The blue lacquer above the cone of the fountain pen refers to the colour as defined as ‘Royal blue’ worn by royalty and nobility.
To complete the collection, Montblanc is introducing two pairs of cufflinks with the Tudor rose as the central motif. The simple elegance of a red rose contrasts with yellow-gold PVD finish of the first pair, while a black rose complement the shine of the stainless steel pair. Available NOW from Weir & Sons.
